If Marty Supreme taught us anything, it is that ping pong is having a moment and we are not complaining. The paddle is the new barbell, the table tennis table is the new dancefloor, and somewhere between Josh Safdie’s film and your local bar installing a table in the corner, the sport became the most interesting thing happening in recreational culture. We called it early and we stand by it.
Which is why we are very pleased to tell you that ASICS SportStyle and Los Angeles-based collective Little Tokyo Table Tennis are taking over Paris Fashion Week, and you should absolutely be there.
From June 25th to 27th, the two brands are throwing open the doors of Ellia Art Gallery in Le Marais for a three-day ping pong pop-up that is open to everyone. No invite required. No skill level either, which is very much the point. Pick up a paddle, join a match, watch a tournament, or simply exist in a space where sport, music, and community are doing something genuinely fun together.
A little history, because it matters here. ASICS was founded in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka in Japan, and the name itself is an acronym of the Latin phrase Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, a sound mind in a sound body. It is not just a tagline. It is the founding philosophy, the thing that has shaped every product and every collaboration the brand has touched for over seven decades. Movement as something that does not just change your body but genuinely, measurably changes how you feel. In a cultural moment where wellness has become an industry and wellbeing has become a content category, ASICS has been saying this since before most of us were born.
The activation also marks the launch of their first-ever collaboration with LTTT: a reimagined GEL-RESOLUTION 5 sneaker, drawn from the ASICS tennis archive and reworked through LTTT’s community-driven lens. Japanese heritage meeting contemporary Los Angeles culture, which on paper should not work as seamlessly as it does, and in practice looks very good.
Little Tokyo Table Tennis started in Spring 2021 with just a few tables in the Little Tokyo neighbourhood of Los Angeles and grew into a full community built entirely on openness, curiosity, and a shared love for the game. No gatekeeping, no hierarchy, just people showing up to play. That energy is now landing in Paris for the first time, which feels like exactly the right city for it.
As LTTT founder Jiro puts it: we fight for happiness. If you do not want to play table tennis, that is okay, but hopefully you feel the urge.
What is on
Three days, a full programme, and no excuse not to show up. Every day from 11am to 2pm the space runs daily ping pong clinics where you can learn from a pro and, if you are feeling bold, challenge one. Whether you have never held a paddle or think you are better than you are, this is the slot for you.
Beyond the clinics, across the three days, the space will host a public ping pong tournament open to all, a pro players match with live jazz, and a sonic experience by Cometa that will make the whole thing feel considerably more cinematic than your average pop-up. Food and drinks are handled by Cosmos, there is a live podcast with Throwing Fits for anyone who wants to sit down and listen to something worthwhile, and souvenirs are sold on site for when you inevitably want to take something home.
For Amsterdam’s creative bubble and beyond, making their annual PFW pilgrimage, consider this your sign to add Ellia Art Gallery to the itinerary. We will be there, paddle in hand, and you better catch us.
ASICS x LTTT Ping Pong Pop-Up. June 25th to 27th, Ellia Art Gallery, Le Marais, Paris. Open to the public.
