Echoing his signature style, the shoe features a crisscrossing pattern which Kuma said was inspired by a traditional Japanese bamboo crafting technique known as ‘yatara knitting’.

Made from recycled polyester, the lines are placed strategically to stabilise the foot, while also converging to form the Asics logo on the sides of the shoe.

Kuma – who is well-known for designing the V&A Dundee and Japan’s National Stadium for the upcoming 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games – has had a long-standing fascination with bamboo as a material.

“Originally, Japanese culture was based on ‘connecting lines’,” he told Dezeen. “A single line is weak, but bundle of lines in aggregate is strong. An approach to yatara ami combining delicacy and functionality works well with modern designs.”

The shoe is named the Metaride AMU, based on Asics’ classic Metaride shape which curves up towards the toes to prevent excessive bending of the ankles and reduce energy consumption.

In this way, it imitates bamboo’s ability to be both hard and soft at the same time.

For Kuma, switching from architecture to footwear design was not as big a leap as it might first appear.

“When we design a building, we work while analysing how people move and feel. It is no different from ergonomically designed shoes,” he explained.

“One of the major themes in my architecture is how people and the earth connect. For me, I feel uncomfortable when people are separated from the earth by architecture, and I think people remember their peace of mind when they connect with the earth. In terms of that connection, I felt sneakers had more possibilities than architecture.”

Architect Zaha Hadid previsouly teamed up with musician Pharrell Williams to design a pair of trainers as part of the singer’s collection for Adidas.