Mayfly or Quahog - what’s it to be?

Ah, spring! A time of change, metamorphoses, the magical cycles of life perpetuate...

Close your eyes… relax. You’re a mayfly nymph, globbed onto a reed stem in a crystalline stream that’s lazily wending its way through idyllic pastures. You stretch your six tiny legs, and struggle upward, fighting the water’s flow on your way toward the surface, toward the dappled sunlight that’s dizzyingly refracted into your multifaceted bug eyes. After what feels like an eternity you’ve made it. Air! Freedom!

You are alive and full of joy. The world’s more beautiful than you’d even imagined, there’s so much to discover, to learn. You’ve got to mate! Two days later you’re dead.

The only thing sadder than the mayfly’s disappointing life cycle? The tragic fate of the canvas shoe each summer. If only there were a pair that could live through the heady days of summer, and return the next year wiser, ready for more… intact.

Now there is. Welcome the Tough Tennis Shoes, here to extend the summer shoe life cycle.

We’ve made a stand-up pair of canvas tennis shoes, but it wasn’t just for kicks. We had a higher calling on this one. 70,000 of you filled out our tennis shoe questionnaire, and you served up a lot of dirt on how these sunny-day staples have let you down before. With a sample group the size of Barnsley’, we had a lot of let-downs to get working on. Luckily, it’s the sort of assignment we live for. Take a classic, make it better. That’s the Asphalte way.

What were you most fussed about?

The TLDR: 70,000 of you love tennis shoes, but you're tired of them falling to pieces. Gorrit.

We'll delve into the details over on the product page, but here’s the gist: the Tough Tennis Shoes aren’t going to let you down. They’ll see you through this summer, and the next. Mayflies no more, these are the ocean quahogs of the tennis shoe world.

Made from heavy-duty laminated canvas, these will take some licks. No more reviewing your toenails through your pumps, if you manage to rip these you’ve been using your tennis shoes as football boots for one too many Sunday League thrashings.

The outsole is made of recycled rubber. It’s got all the classic rubbery upsides: cushioning, durability and comfort, plus an added good vibes bonus.

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: classics aren’t easy to pull off. We’ve taken serious care to get the lines on these spot-on, sleek and minimal. They’re a far cry from those dodgy canvas pumps your mum made you wear to sports day. We also went with a soft, off-white twill lining paired with a seriously cushy insole - so you can mill about in the sun in comfort.

Designing a smash-hit pair of tennis shoes is only half the work. You’ve got to find experts to make them. We teamed up with the guys at Aboutoday, Portugal. They’re pump-making pros, as you’ll see when you give these a once over.

If it doesn't work out fear not, returns and exchanges are easy and the cost of the return is on us.

All very well, but how do you get one? Well, the Tough Tennis Shoes will be available to preorder for 89€ from Tuesday 9th of May. But as usual, the first come first served.

Need to know anything else? Drop it in the comments below or check our international Instagram page for the answer. Possibly.

Thanks,

The Asphalte Team