Korean designer Vandy the Pink just launched his latest sneaker collaboration, a sweet treat-inspired version of the Asics Gel-Nimbus 10.1. The shoes retailed for $180 each, but a handful of hopeful resellers ended up shelling out far more than that.
In order to circumvent automated bots run by resellers from buying up all of the stock, Vandy the Pink’s e-commerce site priced each of his Banana Split Asics Gel-Nimbus 10.1 at $30,000. The value would only be lowered to the original price of $180 after users entered a specific discount code, which was shared via Vandy the Pink’s Instagram account. The collaboration’s Strawberry colorway used a code of 20STR25, while the Banana option was 25BAN20.
Apparently, not everyone on the hunt for the collaboration received the message. On his Instagram story, Vandy the Pink shared a text message stating that two people actually purchased the sneakers for $30,000, making the anti-bot strategy at least somewhat successful.
Vandy the Pink shared a text message conversation stating two customers purchased his Asics collaboration for $30,000.
Vandy the Pink
Because bots are often trained to add items to a shopper’s digital cart and checkout with preset billing information, the last-minute addition of a discount code was something that some buyers weren’t prepared for. While an extreme measure, this sort of bot prevention has sometimes been used by other brands. A notable example was May 2024’s J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 launch, which saw the sneaker’s $250 retail price balloon to $25,000 before a code was applied.
In less drastic instances, brands will use various anti-botting methods when releasing hyped-up footwear and apparel. Raffles have become commonplace in the industry and are often used for both online and in-store launches. Services such as EQL, which touts fairly run releases, have also emerged.
Vandy the Pink began teasing his Asics Gel-Nimbus 10.1 Banana Split collaboration in May. Featuring two colorways, Vandy the Pink’s project embodies his love for the timeless dessert on Asics’ hybrid Gel-Nimbus 10.1 model, which uses the upper of the Gel-Nimbus 10 fused with the midsole of the Gel-Kayano 14.
The duo’s Banana colorway was released exclusively at Atmos Japan and via onvandylab.org. The Strawberry style will be released from asics.com and select retailers this month, but an exact date has not been announced.
Vandy the Pink x Asics Gel-Nimbus 10.1 Banana Split Strawberry and Banana (on-foot).
Vandy the Pink
Vandy the Pink x Asics Gel-Nimbus 10.1 Banana Split pack.
Vandy the Pink
Vandy the Pink x Asics Gel-Nimbus 10.1 Banana Split Strawberry (on-foot).
Vandy the Pink