Talking Shop: Handcrafted Heat With Jungles Jungles’ ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 16
have never coloured inside the lines. Since day one, the Melbourne outfit have thrived on contradiction – high-fashion stockists without the fashion-world fluff, skate shop racks without the skate-brand baggage, and a surfer at the helm who swerves surfing culture entirely. Founder Jack Ferguson calls it Modern Escapism – graphics and garments designed to distract, provoke, and evolve from season to season.
Now, the streetwear mavericks are lacing up their first sneaker colab, teaming with on a that’s been Forget factory-fresh polish – this one’s all airbrushed gradients, subtle distressing, custom hardware, and tiny details you might not even notice on the first wear. To mark the release, the crew are hitting Melbourne and Sydney with live custom pop-ups, letting fans watch the process up close.
Our chat with Ferguson covered it all – from Jungles Jungles’ unboxable philosophy to the off-the-cuff design process, and what’s next after this first step into footwear.
Give us the lowdown – what’s Jungles Jungles all about, and how did it come to life?
People often ask what Jungles Jungles is about, but the whole point is that it’s not about anything specific. I wanted to create a brand that couldn’t be boxed in. We don’t really associate with the fashion world, but we sell to high-end fashion stores. We’re not a skate brand, but we sell to skate shops. I’m a surfer, but I steer the brand well clear of surfing culture. It just exists on its own terms. I call it Modern Escapism – the tendency to seek distraction from unpleasant realities. The graphics in each collection are the heart and soul of the brand, shifting every season depending on how I’m feeling, and they always carry some subtle messaging within them.
How did the colab chat with ASICS first land in your lap?
I got introduced to Zacc from the ASICS Australia team a few years ago. We spoke a bit, but nothing came of it until Ryan from the Global Projects team messaged me on Instagram. Turns out Zacc had been quietly pushing to do something with Jungles Jungles for years, and the timing finally lined up.
What’s your connection to the GEL-CUMULUS 16, and how did it serve as a canvas?
My mum used to buy ASICS for my brothers and me when we were kids, because I had flat feet, and they had the best support. I’ve been wearing them for as long as I can remember. I wasn’t familiar with the GEL-CUMULUS 16 specifically before this project, but it’s packed with textures, shapes, and tiny details to work with. The more I dove in, the more it gave back.
Walk us through the design journey – from scribbles and scraps to the finished product.
Because the finishing was done in the Jungles Jungles studio by our team, I wanted to take advantage of techniques you can’t achieve in a factory at high volume. I wanted the shoes to feel like they’d lived a life – something you look at and wonder about the stories it could tell. The only way to capture that is by hand.
I didn’t sketch anything. I just jumped in with the tools, tried a bunch of different techniques, and followed what felt right. Each pair has spent serious time in our hands – airbrushing, distressing, punching holes, studding, adding labels. Even small, almost invisible touches, like the soft gradient on the heel labels, were airbrushed in-house.
What made the mood board for this project, and what feeling were you trying to bottle in the final shoe?
There was no mood board. I relied entirely on the design principles of Jungles Jungles – heavy vintage washes, subtle messaging in the graphics, and hardware details. Airbrushing is a big part of our visual language, so that had to be part of the shoe.
This weekend, pop-ups are hitting Melbourne and Sydney. What’s on the program, and why should people pull up?
We’ll have a small number of pairs available at the pop-ups before the official release. I’ll be there making a few shoes live, so you can see the full process – airbrushing, distressing, punching holes, adding hardware – all in real time.
Is this a one-off sneaker moment, or will footwear become a regular fixture in the Jungles Jungles world?
I think you can expect more from Jungles Jungles and ASICS in the future.
If you had to sum up this project in one word or phrase, what would it be?
Togetherness.
The Jungles Jungles x ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16 touches down with two early-access pop-ups – Melbourne on August 15 and Sydney on August 17 – where Ferguson will be customising pairs live. A wider release follows on August 20 via Jungles Jungles, ASICS, and select retailers.
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