A WALK IN THE CITY WITH THROWING FITS: ASICS GEL-NYC™ 2.0 SSHS

Renowned for their finger-on-the-pulse podcast Throwing Fits, James Harris and Lawrence Schlossman have spent the better part of fifteen years ruminating on the ins and outs of contemporary menswear and streetwear mores. Having met at the beginning of their careers working at a New York City agency, the duo’s charismatic energy and comedic chemistry has let them to and followed them through myriad creative pursuits.

From Complex Magazine’s Fashion Bros series in the early part of the 2010s to their Failing Upwards show, the American clothing connoisseurs rebranded and relaunched the podcast in 2020 under the Throwing Fits name. Blending their authentic cultural voices with a humorous approach, James and Laurence have built a devout following for their distinctive flavour of content. Centring around a special guest each episode, the pair deliver a shortcut into the heart of contemporary culture, championing their own taste, light-hearted personality and off-the-cuff conversation.

Linking up with James and Lawrence in their home-city, we took a walk around New York with the boys to hit up some of their favourite spots in honour of the launch of ASICS GEL-NYC™ 2.0 SSHS sneaker — from Mildred’s Barbers, Chad Senzel and Justin Varsity to Bar Oliver and Spicy Village — while discussing all things Throwing Fits, New York City and personal style.

Over the past few years, Throwing Fits has grown into one of menswear’s foremost podcasts, blending comedy, popular culture and fashion forward content with long form interviews. When you first started TF, what were your ambitions for the project?

James Harris: I think the ambition was to drink six beers and eat one full pizza in a night and just find time to hang out, as our jobs and lives got increasingly busier and hectic. We wanted to create a platform where we could actually say what we felt, because we kind of lost that as our jobs got more corporate and consequential. We weren't able to talk shit anymore, so we wanted an outlet to do that.

Lawrence Schlossman: The secret weapon that we've had since the beginning is that there's never been any expectations at all, so we've always able to surpass them when the bar is effectively subterranean, so I think that's been like a superpower. Not that we don't take it seriously, obviously, but the ambitions were absolutely pedestrian to start.

JH: And remain so!

LS: It is wild to think about how far it's come. We were sharing one microphone on the first podcast and now we have four. I think we own four microphones now, which is crazy.

JH: That's 4-x’ing. I'll have to fact check that, but yeah, I think it's four microphones.

Did you ever expect that the podcast would grow into what it has become today?

JH: No, and I think it's almost a little, not dangerous, but scary to hit pause and say, “oh, look how far we've come”, because then you can lose sight of always just striving for more, striving to retain some semblance of authenticity or yourself-ness. Because if you just stop to smell the roses, I don't know, you might get pricked. But no, I don't think there's ever any forethought or hope that it would become what it is. I think to hit pause, pat ourselves on the back and rest on our laurels makes me think, “why would we do that?” We have a lot more to do.

LS: It's always been something that's been, I don't want to say a labor of love, but it was something that was a hobby at the beginning, a side project for many years, but it wasn't something that we ever had a five-year plan for or thought that this is going to be our full time thing. We never thought about it like that. The fact that we've made it this far is absolutely astounding, if I'm being totally frank.

JH: Don't pinch me, I don't want to wake up!

Having worked with one another in the early 2010s at Complex, how did you originally meet? At what point did you decide that you would work well together as content creators/hosts?

JH: I was thinking, “who's that guy that's also going to every event just for the free hors d'oeuvres and beverages, just like me, because we can't afford dinner or actual cocktails.” That's how we met, right? I mean, the real answer is that we were both at the lowest rung of the corporate ladder at a PR sales and event production agency called Brand Pimps Media Whores. Not a joke.

LS: Hard one to explain to your family.

JH: I don't think we ever decided that we would work well together, particularly. I think people at Complex thought that we had a funny chemistry going on, and said “why don't we just like point some cameras at you and let you cook?” That turned into a YouTube show called Fashion Bros. Short lived, but I think educational and at least taught us to believe that our rapport was something that resonated with some people, or a few dozen people at least.

LS: I think the authenticity is there because we never tried to monetize our friendship. It was a decision that was made for us when we were at Complex Magazine that clearly was something that we hadn't seen ourselves. But that's a good thing because it was never strategic. It was never forced. It's just organically how we've always kind of coexisted as a yin and a yang when we've been working or creating with each other. And I would just like to state for the record; we were not both on the lowest rung. I was one rung above James. I was a full-time employee making a robust $38,000 a year and James was I think part time hourly employee.

JH: And then when I was hired to do his job, I was only paid $30,000 a year. When they gave me his laptop, they said, “here's everything you need to do his job.” I opened the laptop and there was nothing there.

LS: There was nothing. And to James's credit, I will say that at that time at our first job at BPMW, he did interview with Jay-Z to work for him, which is crazy. So, even though I was actually employed, I didn't ever interview with Jay-Z.

JH: HOV, if you're listening and you are still looking for a personal assistant 20 years later. Bang my line.

LS: If James had become Jay-Z's personal assistant, Failing Upwards and then by extension Throwing Fits would have never existed. Just crazy. Jay-Z, you missed out.

Was fashion something that you had always been interested in growing up or was there something that particularly ignited your passion at an older age?

LS: No, for me, it was about fitting in when I was younger with various subcultures, whether it was music, skateboarding or more traditional sports. I could be an effective poser by dressing the part, even though I don't necessarily have the skills that it takes, whether it's being terrible at bass guitar or not being able to kickflip or being a shitty basketball or soccer player. But I was able to laser focus in on the modes of dressing that existed in those subcultures. It was my way in. Over time, that became something I was acutely aware of and that became like a superpower for me personally.

JH: Was fashion always an interest of mine? Fuck no. But growing up in New York City, I think that it's just endemic and almost so ubiquitous that you don't even think about it in terms of self-expression through dressing. When people say to me, “you're big in the fashion industry”, I still laugh at that because it is strange.

LS: Who's saying that.

JH: No one's saying that, actually, just me. Just my mom. Having that outsider perspective is healthy and allows a level of critical thinking that doesn't necessarily come from anyone that is so enthusiastic about something that they are blind to why things happen or why they matter or what's important, what's not important. It was always second nature as a city kid.

LS: We have a healthy distrust, which has been crucial and critical to the success that we've had, for other people that enjoy what we do, who are also outsiders and don't see us as part of the establishment or some ivory tower.

What are your influences in fashion now?

LS: The corny answer and the obvious one is living in New York. We were out all day today. The city is so exciting. From the most insane freakazoid to some level of civilian there is always something interesting to see in their outfits. And then obviously the friends of the show who we've interviewed, a lot of people who we've stopped by today. The best thing about this job is the people we've been able to meet through the show and that we've been fans of or become fans of, whether that's Chad Senzel or Justin at Varsity and just understanding that and being aware that there's always people that know something different, or know more than we do. I'm never trying to walk around like I'm some expert. I always feel like there's more to learn, more to consume in both a good way and sometimes a bad way. I just try to be inspired by real people that we actually interface with on a day-to-day basis.

JH: For me, it's definitely the individuals that are inspiring just by how enthusiastic they are and how wholeheartedly they pursue their interests and what tickles their pickle. Travel at large also just widens your perspective and makes you realize that the way you do things is not the only way. That extends to self-expression through clothing, creation of or development of a brand. Being lucky enough to travel a lot, both through work and my personal life, is definitely inspiring.

LS: I think there is this unfortunate thing that's happening both in fashion, both in the industry and online. This is not a new thing, but when people are pretentious and think that they're the most stylish or know more than other people. I think we're completely anti and opposite to that, where we're always trying to learn and be inspired by other people. We’re not ashamed to relish in that fact, not even just admit it, but to really enjoy that. And also I watch a fucking ton of movies. Cinema and film are obviously very inspiring.

Originally hailing from New Jersey and Manhattan, how did New York’s stylistic history and approach influence your own outlook on dressing?

JH: I think growing up in New York, the one thing I can point to that's maybe different than growing up in a lot of other places in America, is your immediate exposure to all forms of diversity. As a young kid, you're on a subway car and you're with people from all tiers of society, different backgrounds, race, creeds, religions, aesthetics, professional field et cetera. Immediately being exposed to almost everything is super influential. That could be a singular subculture, whether it's late 90s hip hop or East Coast skating or fucking graffiti or Rockaway surfers. I don't know. It's so in your face from such a young age that you can't help but start to absorb things that you want to, that you're interested in or find interesting and mix it up into your own thing. Hopefully that's the case, versus just copy and pasting something you might see in a magazine or on TV or online that you just think, “I want to do that and I'm going to do that exact thing, and I need to do it”. This is also growing up in the times of pre-internet where you had to form your own identity outside of how to videos that now can tell you how to fucking build your own computer.

LS: Growing up in New Jersey, New York City, Manhattan, five boroughs, whatever, it was always aspirational and I never took my proximity to the city for granted. Now I’m living here, I just feel blessed and lucky that my life and my career has made it so that I could live and exist and work in the greatest city on God's green earth, in my opinion. That’s something that I always wanted for myself, and now that I've achieved it, I try not to lose sight of where I come from. Not like I had some crazy struggle personally, but I try not to take it for granted. I don't want to live or work anywhere else. So, I just keep that in mind and never forget that. For the longest time, it was this aspirational thing that I was striving and working towards. The fact that I've achieved it is awesome. And again, I don't want to ever forget that.

Do you feel like it still has a particular defined style in the modern day?

LS: There definitely is, and there's definitely signature elements and even pieces that are very New York, even to a mean degree. Because of the Internet and the accessibility, a lot of what James talked about already in the democracy of that, I think that people almost would now downplay how significant it still is. I mainly say that because, and this is obviously subjective and people could debate this until they’re blue in the face, but I still think that, pound for pound, New York City is the most stylish city on the globe and has the most stylish people. I personally would say that on the record and that needs to be understood and acknowledged, in my opinion.

JH: The waters have been very muddied with the flattening of culture at large, just through the internet, where you used to be able to look at a guy and you could say, “he's in Silver Lake or he's in Lower Side or he's in Dalston” or fucking whatever. It's hard to identify somebody based on regional style now because everything is just everywhere all at the same fucking time. So I think it's definitely the case, but it's probably more difficult than ever to say that this is actually something that is quintessentially New York, or quintessentially London or quintessentially Tokyo or wherever, because you can instantly achieve or acquire something that you want to make a part of yourself in any place on Earth.

What is it about NYC’s style that sets it apart from other places?

LS: The thing that sets apart is the pure freedom and insanity of the people that live here. This is maybe going to sound a little bit played, but New Yorkers don't give a fuck. They are going to dress however they want, even if there's obviously trend followers and posers in this city. I still think that at the end of the day, we have the most elite freaks in this city, and I'll put them up against anywhere. For me, that's exciting and that's wild and that's crazy. Personally, I find that extremely enjoyable and inspiring.

JH: The freaks do come out at night. They're also out during the day. I think there's an element of utilitarianism. I don't think it's as extreme as in London, where you have to dress like it’s going to piss rain every fucking day. There is a level of comfort in New York style and utility. There's also just some joy, some edge and some griminess. It’s all individual, but it's the fact that we have the best individuals is the real reason why we have the best style.

New York seems to be a city that is always on the move, with new spots to visit popping up all the time. What does this type of energy give to the city?

LS: Frantic energy. But at the same time, it’s great if you’re the kind of person that's says, “oh, did you hear about the new spot?” and then two weeks later, “oh, there's another new spot.” I think that that that's a bit exhausting for me personally. I'll be real. I usually hear about a cool new place, that wouldn't be on my radar, via James. But what is great about New York is wherever you are, there is amazing access to great stuff, whether it's shopping, food, beverages, entertainment, whatever it is, you could find it anywhere. I'm a creature of habit. Personally, I just love that I have great, amazing regular haunts that I could go to. It's tough to keep up with the speed that, not just fashion trends, but like trends in food and beverages and coolness, for lack of a better term, move in the city. You’ll run out of gas pretty quick if you're always chasing the next thing, obviously. So, I try to avoid that.

JH: Personally, it's less about being at the latest hotspot and more about experiencing something where it’s clear that a team of people and individuals have poured their blood, sweat and tears into it, and you can really experience and feel when you have that experience in the space. Hospitality is the hardest fucking industry in the world, but it takes a special type of person to devote themselves to making sure that people have a great evening. Incredibly generous, incredibly passionate. Luckily, by being a part of Throwing Fits, you can like meet the individuals that are behind these things, whether it's Nathan at Bar Oliver, Justin Varsity or Chad, or a chef at the newest place. If you just are a good person, you will meet the good people that are doing good things. And I think that's usually the most rewarding way, and then you just want to support those places. Maybe they're not the hottest shit six months later, but you still want to support the people that are good to you and good in general. That attitude is the healthiest way to experience the frantic pace of new things happening all the time in New York.

Reflecting on the ASICS’ GEL-NYC 2.0 sneaker, it is a celebration of its namesake – an homage to the city. What were some of your first memories of ASICS as a brand?

LS: I'll be real, it was going back to school shopping with my mom and maybe thinking, in my mind, that I wanted whatever hyped up signature sneaker from like another brand, but that being out of the price range or the budget and maybe thinking that I was settling. But then having something like an ASICS sneaker that was different and unique that nobody else was wearing, it just makes me think of individuality, personal style and making what you have work and making it work for you to a level that you're now suddenly the best version of yourself because you're not necessarily doing what everyone else is doing. That's what I think of when I think about ASICS. The big brain or galaxy brain maneuver. That's a little bit of a zig when everyone else is zagging, and I appreciate that.

JH: My mom is Japanese, so I’ve been going to Japan a lot throughout my life, which is a big influence on my perspective and personal style, because I was visiting and thinking, “wow, things are different here.” It made me see that the way we do things here is not the only way to do things. I remember being in one of the big department stores that are ubiquitous in Tokyo and seeing a wall of ASICS, as well as seeing the shoes throughout Tokyo and Japan. Seeing that there isn’t just the several brand duopoly/triopoly. There are other brands out there. Seeing it contexualised in a different country did set a lightbulb off in my child brain, that the way that things are perceived in America isn’t the only way that it can be understood or perceived.

The ASICS GEL-NYC™ 2.0 SSHS sneakers will launch online via END. Launches and in-store at our Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Milano stores on 16th January 2026.

Enter the draw for this launch product here and stay ahead of upcoming releases on our Launches page.

For answers to common questions, check our FAQs, and visit our store pages to learn about future in-store events.