ASICS Turns the GEL-1130 Into a Strange Open-Toe Summer Hybrid

The GEL-1130 CV looks like ASICS took a chunky 2008 stability runner, cut open the forefoot, and let the sandal breathe. The result is a double-strap, open-toe hybrid that keeps the GEL-1130’s badge details and layered upper language intact, but shifts the whole silhouette into strange warm-weather territory. It is the kind of shoe that makes sense only if you already understand how far the retro-runner has traveled, from practical mileage machine to fashion object.

That lineage matters. The GEL-1130 is a heritage model that pays homage to the ninth iteration of the GEL-1000 series, and ASICS says the original shoe was inspired by the GEL-KAYANO 14. It was built as a stability running shoe in 2008, which makes the CV’s sandal treatment feel less like a prank than a deliberate mutation of a familiar form. The standard GEL-1130 currently sits around $100 to $110, depending on colorway and market, so the appeal has always been accessibility as much as silhouette. ASICS is now taking that approachable base and stretching it into something more radical without abandoning the model’s utilitarian backbone.

The CV keeps the technical language that made the shoe resonate in the first place. ASICS describes it as a tech-credible sandal with a vented open design for breathability, a strap system inspired by track spike fit structure, and a midsole built with GEL technology plus FF BLAST PLUS cushioning. The brand also says studies from its Institute of Sport Science informed the calculated midsole thickness, which gives the shoe a more considered feel than the average gimmick drop. This is not a flimsy fashion sandal pretending to be sporty. It is a runner re-engineered for the heat.

ASICS has already listed the GEL-1130 CV on regional sites in Singapore and Oman, in colorways including WHITE/CILANTRO, PURE SILVER/CREAM, and Illusion Blue/Black, which suggests the model is moving through real retail channels before a broader summer rollout. That matters because the open-toe runner is no longer a novelty category on the margins. After recovery mules and sneaker-sandals, the next move is obvious: turn the normcore dad runner into something even more awkward, then dress it with conviction. The people who will wear this are the ones already comfortable in technical shorts, wide nylon trousers, cropped cargos, and thick socks that make a silhouette look intentional. For everyone else, it will read as a stunt. For the market, it looks like the next logical step.