Thanks mainly to Ronnie Fieg, the ASICS Gel Lyte III has been one of the most popular runner models of the past few years. It may be at its height of popularity now, especially for collaborations, as it is celebrating 25 years. However, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t in the spotlight previously. Seven years ago, the team from ALIFE released not one, but two versions of the GL3 that are rare and highly sought after to this day.
Nicknamed the “Monster” pack, the sneakers were inspired by Halloween and the spookiness it brings to the end of October. The two sneakers were sold separately but followed a similar formula, just utilizing very different colors.
First was the attention grabbing pair dubbed the “Green Monster.” A illuminating shade of green is used on the upper in both crackled and smooth leather. Details included monster scales, the ALIFE NYC logo on the heel, removable eyeballs, and a red and white midsole to represent the monster’s teeth.
The “Black Lagoon” pair was black based (duh) that had the same features as the first but with a much more stealth approach, using grey as the accent. The red laces complimented the ALIFE logos along with matching the branded insoles.
Retailing at $200 each, that was a tough price to swallow when they released back in 2007. They are easily double that on the resale market now. Even tougher to find now were the perfectly matching special tees that released at the same time.
Shops like BAIT and designer’s like Ronnie have had their own special runs of Gel Lyte III’s over the recent year’s but ALIFE’s “Monster” pack is still one of the most memorable Gel Lyte III collaborations ever. Who would’ve thought some goofy, removable eyeballs could make a sneaker so cool. Ohhh and if you want the ultimate pair then you can always grab one of the super exclusive glow-in-the-dark friends and family pair.
Aaron Nojima
Robbie Falchi
Nick Engvall