ASICS SportStyle GT-2160

Featuring Meron Mangasha

Explore our ASICS SportStyle selection and the ASICS SportStyle universe here.

With some of the recent most popular silhouettes coming from ASICS, we take a look at the latest hit from the Japanese sportswear brand. The GT-2160 has Y2K DNA, paying homage to the technical design language from the GT-2000 series; for those who don’t remember, that’s the early 2010s. The upper is constructed with synthetic leather, along with a sleek aesthetic and wavy forefoot sculpting. The streetwise silhouette, its lightweight core design elements, and advanced cushioning properties make the ASICS GT-2160 a timeless standout, offering a look to switch things up seriously. To highlight the GT, we linked up with Stockholm-based screenwriter, poet, and playwright Meron Mangasha. The ever-stylish Swede has clearly found a fashion formula he digs, perfect because ASICS has the matching sneaker. Let's take it for a spin.

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SNS : What's your name and what do you do?

Meron : Meron Mangasha. I write poetry, screenplays, and other stuff.

SNS : Can you share with us the moment or experience that first inspired you to pursue a career as a scriptwriter and poet?

Meron : I quit my job in 2021 and applied to school for screenwriting in the midst of the pandemic and I’ve just become a father. The pandemic definitely plays a key role in a lot of cool dumb decision-making out there. Luckily I got in.

SNS : How do you find a balance between the structured world of scriptwriting and the more free-form nature of poetry in your creative work?

Meron : It’s symbiotic for me. Like the Oxpecker sitting on the back of big animals munching away on insects. I think poetry is the bird in this situation – cleaning AND opening wounds at the same time haha.

SNS : What themes or topics do you find yourself revisiting frequently in your writing, whether in scripts or poetry, and why are they significant to you?

Meron : Family, heritage, and community. Everything in-between things that have been handed down to me and shit I pass down to the next one. Death is a big one. It’s all an extension of course.

SNS : Can you describe your creative process when crafting a script versus when writing poetry? Are there any key differences in your approach?

Meron : It starts out the same – building on thoughts and snippets from the notes app or a small notebook that I carry with me. After that, they’re two separate things. Screenwriting has its tools and steps that you can follow – or not. I’ve used different methods depending on the project. I’m more at peace with the poetry thing. I’m still figuring it out, to be honest.

SNS : Many writers have rituals or habits that help them get into the writing flow. What are some of your personal rituals or routines that aid your creative process?

Meron : I try to do it first thing in the morning. And sometimes when everyone is asleep. Physically I can be pretty much anywhere, often with headphones in my ears. I’m still trying to refine my process and not rely on mood-based writing. I’m trying to be disciplined. Long walks are essential.

SNS : How do your background and personal experiences influence the narratives and characters you create in your scripts and poems?

Meron : As I mentioned earlier, it’s an extension. It plays a heavy part in the way I portray my world and its inhabitants. It may be subtle when writing a script about a more unfamiliar subject matter but it’s in there somewhere – my voice or what you wanna call it.

SNS : Could you share a particular piece of work, be it a script or poem, that holds a special place in your heart, and explain why it's meaningful to you?

Meron : It’s a clear case of recency bias but I stumbled upon a piece by Momtaza Mehri the other day. A poem with the title Glory Be to the Gang Gang Gang. Beautiful, powerful, and hilarious. I’m a big fan of pop cultural references in poetry. She has stated that she wants to expand the definition of poetry. I’m a big fan of that too, and that it should coexist along with the T.S. Eliot’s and Gabriela Mistral’s of the world.

In praise of all that is honest, call upon the acrylic tips and make a minaret out of a middle finger, gold-dipped and counting. In the name of Filet-O-Fish, pink lemonade, the sweat on an upper lip, the backing swell and ache of Abdul Basit Abdus Samad on cassette tape, a clean jump shot, the fluff of Ashanti’s sideburns, the rice left in the pot the calling cards and long waits, the seasonal burst of baqalah-bought dates. Every time they leave and come back alive. Birthmarks shaped like border disputes. Black sand. Shah Rukh’s dimples, like bullets taking our aunts back to those summer nights, these blessings on blessings on blessings. Give me the rub of calves, rappers sampling jazz, the char of frankincense and everything else that makes sense in a world that don’t.

SNS : Writing can be a solitary endeavor. How do you seek inspiration and connect with others in the creative community to fuel your passion and ideas?

Meron : I found people to share with through my time at Alma and learned to give and handle feedback. We’re in the same predicament in a sense. I have access to some of their projects. I also try to study the scripts of some of my favorite films. Poetry, on the other hand, is pretty much companionless for me. I don’t have that sense of community but try to reach out to peers from time to time. People around me found out about it when I started sharing it online. ”Oh, you write poetry?”. I’ve always downplayed it. It’s a vulnerable position to be in and I still struggle with self-doubt. There’s power in vulnerability, I guess. Cliche, I know. I can really appreciate the solitude though.

SNS : As a scriptwriter and poet, what advice would you offer to aspiring writers who are looking to find their unique voice and style?

Meron : I would say read a lot and write a lot. The classics as well as contemporary stuff. See what’s out there and learn whilst maintaining true to self. Trust. I’m still learning and gradually finding my way.

SNS : In the spirit of sharing inspiring stories, could you recommend five books that you find particularly resonant for reading during the fall season?

Meron : These are a couple of books from the shelf. Not necessarily my favorites.

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon Wow. How do I begin to talk about this book? The opening alone. About his childhood in Jackson, Mississippi. The memoir is written in the form of a letter to his mother. Complex relationships, addiction to food, addiction to gambling, sex – it truly is a heavy yet beautiful read. About being a black man in America without catering to a white audience. Kiese is the truth, man. PS. He often speaks about the importance of revision in writing. I couldn’t agree more.

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire Needs no further introduction. Beyonce likes her, we know that. I saw her conversation with Judith Kiros at Kulturhuset last spring. She’s equally impressive in real life. And funny! Bless the Daughter is about her childhood and a shout-out to parentified children in the diaspora. Kind of. Anyway, it’s good.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy A modern classic. He just died by the way. RIP. I read this book years ago before becoming a father to a son. Bought a copy a couple of months back but reading it now feels terrifying. Pick it up, you’ll understand.

The Sweet Flypaper of Life by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes A collaboration between the legendary Roy DeCarava and the legendary Langston Hughes. DeCarava’s images and the words of Hughes tell a story of everyday life in Harlem in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Seen through the eyes of Sister Mary Bradley. ”The Sweet Flypaper of Life is an extended poem, both visually and verbally”, as someone described it. For me, it’s the feel of the book and the format. I would like to do something like this.

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke Another classic. Read this if you want to write or if you are a creative being of some sort.