The Jiro Maestu and Ryan Cua Interview with Throwing Fits

Summary

Throwing Fits – The Jiro Maestu and Ryan Cua Interview Released: July 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively Throwing Fits episode, hosts are joined by Jiro Maestu (founder of Little Tokyo Table Tennis, or LTTT) and Ryan Cua (Global Energy & Collaborations Manager, ASICS Sports Style). The conversation centers on the recent ASICS x LTTT Gel Resolution 5 sneaker—hailed as the finest table tennis shoe ever—while examining sneaker collaborations, table tennis culture, design process, and community. There’s a contagious blend of inside industry insight, personal anecdotes, and banter, set against the backdrop of Paris Fashion Week.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of the ASICS x LTTT Collaboration (00:49 – 02:21)

• How it Began

  • Ryan initiated the collab by DM’ing Jiro, a reflection of how many such creative partnerships begin in the digital age.
    • “I think I slid in... I think I was the first to slide into the DM zone.” – Ryan (01:56)
  • The connection was organic; Jiro had been repping ASICS “for so long, it just made sense.” (Ryan, 02:14)

• Ping Pong Lifers

  • Jiro keeps at least 20 paddles and is obsessive about gear, often importing rare ASICS table tennis "blades" (the wood part of the paddle) and noting the difficulty finding vintage ones in the US due to table tennis's deeper roots in Europe and Asia. (03:13, 03:53)

2. The Creative & Design Process (04:06 – 06:22)

• Shoe Model Selection

  • The Gel Resolution 5 was chosen with ASICS’s guidance, being closest in silhouette to a table tennis shoe. (04:17)
  • “We don’t have complete free... can’t invent shoes yet...guided toward this model.” – Jiro (04:17)
  • Jiro credits his dropped-out Paris fashion school background, and highlights help from Nick Guzman, another key team member.

• Design Approach

  • “You just pour what you’re feeling into it...play with things, iterations…” – Jiro (05:34)
  • The shoe reflects the eclectic, club-like personality of LTTT: “They're goofy, man…It's all over the place and represents a lot of different things.” – Jiro (05:51)

• Details: The Lacing System

  • Debate over the toggle: Jiro was resistant, but it stayed for safety (Ryan, 06:22).
    • “He really didn’t want it.” – Ryan (06:31)
    • “I take the toggle off for speed reasons.” – Interviewer 1 (06:38)

3. ASICS Collab Strategy & State of Sneakers (06:42 – 11:19)

• Selecting Collaborators

  • “The real strongest ones...are the ones that really are passionate. You can just kind of tell off the bat whether they really want to work with us or not.” – Ryan (06:48)

• Misses, Let-downs, Letting Down

  • Hosts joke about requests motivated only by the “bag.” Ryan demurs from naming names (07:28).

• Favorite ASICS Collaborations

  • Jiro loves obscure/weird, “so bad it’s good” collabs, like French artist Jules’s project (08:04).
  • Ryan cites Kiko Kostadinov’s first ASICS collab and Joburg’s (09:19).

• Why is ASICS So Hot Now?

  • “I think we make the best product...we just want to make good stuff that’s a little more timeless.” – Ryan (09:37, 11:31)
  • Collaborations with Kiko, Ronnie Fieg, JJJJound, Cecilie Bahnsen, and tapping into diverse communities have helped turbocharge the brand. (09:52, 10:03)

• What’s Next in Sneakers?

  • “Authenticity...is what’s going to really push through...” – Ryan (10:39)
  • Predicts a move toward brands embracing their “thing”—ASICS, notably, is poised to push table tennis mainstream. (11:03)
  • “It’s going to be ping pong.” – Jiro (11:03)

4. Defining Collab Success (11:19 – 12:22)

• Metrics & Resonance
  • Success isn’t just about fast sell-through or resale prices. Community excitement, DMs, and cultural resonance matter more.
    • “If it like resonates with people, you can tell when something really...you can feel it.” – Ryan (12:07)
    • The current release has genuine local support: “Especially back home in LA...they’ve deserved this for a minute.” – Ryan (12:07)

5. Table Tennis Community & Culture (12:34 – 14:53)

• LTTT Open Sessions in LA

  • Open-door vibe, diversity of ages and skill, 100–150 attendees weekly.
  • “It’s a little bit of everything...first and foremost just like it’s an open club so anybody can come and play.” – Jiro (12:43)
  • Some regulars progress to competitive ranks.

• Gambling & Skill Levels

  • “It’s happening behind my back...I don’t gamble.” – Jiro (13:37)
  • He isn’t the best player; talented young players (e.g., UCLA’s Kyle Pack) sometimes show up (13:43–13:59).
  • Despite it becoming his job, Jiro still loves the game, discovering “all new kinds of dimensions” through LTTT’s journey (14:25).

6. Life, Paris, and Personalities (14:53 – 18:27)

• Full Circle

  • Jiro reflects on dropping out of Paris fashion school and now bringing his club energy to Paris Fashion Week through ASICS (14:58).
    • “My mom’s always like, yeah, you dropped out of this prestigious fashion school...Maybe all your Asian parents, stick it...” – Jiro (14:58)

• Table Tennis or Ping Pong?

  • The terms are interchangeable—no shade. “In China, they say ping pong...it doesn’t matter.” – Jiro (15:30)

• State of the Sport

  • Top countries: China, Korea, Germany, Sweden, Japan. (15:35)
  • US scene is growing but lacks world-class history.

• Local Recs

  • Stores in Paris: Jiro’s pick is a table tennis store from Estonia; Ryan shouts out DSM Paris’s basement for being “the coldest room I’ve ever been in my life, and it’s just...a tea room...pitch black and cold. Fire.” (17:00–17:17)
  • Restaurants: No clear picks—Ryan jokes he eats “a baguette every meal.” (17:35)

• Air Conditioning Woes

  • Banter about Paris’s lack of AC and “hot orange juice.” (18:09–18:28)
  • “They don’t do ice. They don’t do AC. I don’t know what...” – Jiro (18:14)
  • “Hot orange juice is great.” – Jiro (18:23)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Creative DM Collabs
  “So is that where all great collaborations happen, just in the DMs?” – Interviewer 1 (02:00)

• On Design
  “You just pour what you’re feeling into it and like, you just...play with things.” – Jiro (05:34)

• On Authentic Collaborations
  “The real strongest ones...are the ones that really are passionate.” – Ryan (06:48)

• On the ASICS Surge
  “I think we make the best product. I’m not paid to say that at all, but I really do think that we do.” – Ryan (09:37)

• On Table Tennis Love
  “I’m discovering all new kinds of dimensions with table tennis that I didn’t think were possible...” – Jiro (14:25)

• On Paris
  “They don’t do ice. They don’t do AC. I don’t know what...” – Jiro (18:14)
  “Hot orange juice is great.” – Jiro (18:23)

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Segment Timestamps of Interest

• 00:49 — Welcoming guests, introduction of the collab origin
• 03:13 — Jiro's ping pong paddle obsession and rare ASICS blades
• 04:17 — Shoe model/design selection and background
• 06:22 — The lacing system and toggle conversation
• 06:48 — How ASICS decides who to collaborate with
• 08:04 — Favorite ASICS collabs (Jules, Kiko)
• 09:37 — ASICS’s rise and product strategy
• 10:39 — Predictions: authenticity and table tennis as the future
• 11:19 — Metrics of collab success
• 12:43 — The community at LTTT’s open table tennis sessions
• 14:25 — Jiro’s renewed passion for table tennis
• 14:58 — Jiro’s journey from Paris fashion school dropout to sneaker collab leader
• 15:30 — Ping pong vs. table tennis naming
• 17:00 — Favorite Paris store picks
• 18:14 — Paris’s lack of AC/ice and cultural adaptation

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Overall Tone

The episode is playful, self-aware, and celebratory, mixing sneakerhead culture, the quirky subculture of table tennis, and the blunt candor Throwing Fits is known for. Both guests provide genuine, jargon-free insights, and the banter—especially on Parisian quirks and the nature of collabs—keeps things welcoming for insiders and newcomers alike.

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A must-listen for anyone interested in creative collaborations, sneaker culture, or how a ping pong club from LA is making waves at Paris Fashion Week.

Transcript

[Narrator/Ad Voice]

Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh, my gosh, they're so fast.

[Jiro]

And breathe.

[Narrator/Ad Voice]

Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.

[Ryan]

1-800-contact contacts.

[Interviewer 2]

Bonjour. Thank you. Thank you.

[Interviewer 1]

Bonjour, Paris. We are Throwing Fits, the self proclaimed only podcast that matters. And we are joined by two homies who linked up and put together what many are calling the greatest table tennis sneaker of all time. Here to dive deep. Speaking of the bike.

[Ryan]

Holy.

[Interviewer 1]

Here to dive deep into the collaborative process. What's next for the world of sneakers and the cheat code on how to get your very own AS six collaborations, please welcome Jiro, the founder of Little Tokyo Table tennis and Ryan, the global energy slash collaborations manager of ASIC Sports Style. What a job title. Welcome, guys. Jiro, why aren't you wearing the LTT A6 mascot uniform in this heat? Are you too big time that he got an Asics club?

[Jiro]

I just took it off right now,

[Interviewer 1]

but I don't sweat that shit is serious.

[Jiro]

It is very serious. They. Yeah, props to them for.

[Interviewer 2]

How long did that take to make?

[Jiro]

I don't know how long it took to make my. The agency aimco, they took care of the production. We made a version of them ourselves in LA to kind of test out, but they are just as hot. And shout out to Zoe, my sister who designed the shouts.

[Interviewer 2]

They were gonna say, your sister is the mascot and I was like, Jesus

[Jiro]

Christ is a professional mascot maker. No, she's a painter. But she did.

[Interviewer 1]

Hope you're paying whoever's wearing them extra in this heat. Who approached who about collaborating together? Like, how did this happen?

[Jiro]

You came on to me, right?

[Ryan]

I think, I think, I think I slid in now. Yeah, I think I was the first to slide into the DM zone.

[Interviewer 1]

So is that where all great collaborations happen, just in the dms?

[Ryan]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Interviewer 2]

How thirsty is that first message?

[Ryan]

I mean, it was just a vanilla, really. Vanilla?

[Jiro]

Oh, it's boilerplate.

[Ryan]

Like all this stuff. They've been repping Asics for so long, it just. It just made sense for.

[Jiro]

Yeah, a pretty long time. It worked.

[Interviewer 1]

And did you guys play a match to determine if the collab would actually happen or like who got better terms in the rev share or anything?

[Ryan]

I never played you.

[Jiro]

I've never seen you play. You.

[Ryan]

I would get destroyed.

[Jiro]

You should play.

[Ryan]

I do hold the paddle nice, though.

[Jiro]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

How do you. How do you hold the paddle?

[Narrator/Ad Voice 2]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Can you demonstrate?

[Jiro]

Oh, how. How do you hold the paddle also?

[Ryan]

Do you.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you just walk around with a ping pong paddle?

[Jiro]

I mean, I'm on the. I mean, I'm on the job. It's my life, so. Yeah, I always have it on me.

[Interviewer 2]

You always on the clock.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you sleep with it?

[Ryan]

It's.

[Jiro]

Yeah, she does. My girlfriend's green. I said yes, I do. Everywhere. It's not weird if you do what I do.

[Interviewer 2]

How many paddles do you own? Like, what's the normal amount?

[Jiro]

I'm not a normal person when it comes to ping pong, so I have. I don't know.

[Interviewer 1]

How many, how many. How many ping pong paddles does he own?

[Jiro]

Like, like 20, 20 ish.

[Interviewer 1]

How much money have you spent on ping pong paddles in your life?

[Ryan]

Tell them about the one you just bought.

[Jiro]

Oh, yeah. So, I mean, that's. I can't. I can't put a number on it, but yeah, Asics. I mean, I brought some that are some very rare, like old Asics blades is what the paddle is called when it does the rubber on either side. It's just the piece of wood is called the blade. But ASICS has a.

[Interviewer 1]

Is that a real term or is that you just make that up?

[Jiro]

I wish I just made it, but that is a real term. But yeah. No, ASICS used to. I mean, they still do make table tennis stuff, but they used to make a lot more equipment. So there's like some really old.

[Narrator/Ad Voice 2]

Nice.

[Interviewer 2]

Is that expensive on ebay, like hunting down.

[Jiro]

You can't really find that stuff on ebay because the table tennis culture in the US Isn't. Doesn't run as deep in many ways. It all comes from like, Europe and Asia mostly. So you have to kind of like,

[Interviewer 1]

well, we're changing that. We're changing that today.

[Jiro]

Yeah, we're trying to.

[Interviewer 2]

One ball at a time.

[Jiro]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Did you always want to work on the gel Resolution 5 or did you kind of land on it, like, with Ryan's guidance? Like, how does that, how does the design process work? How do you pick what model you want to work on?

[Jiro]

We're fresh with Asics. This is our first official project, aside from the last one, so we don't have complete free. We can't invent shoes yet for asics. So we were guided towards this model because it is a tennis shoe. Originally from. I don't know, how many, 10, 15 years ago?

[Ryan]

2013, 14.

[Jiro]

So, yeah, closest possible style silhouette to a table tennis shoe. And it works really well for table tennis.

[Interviewer 1]

And you are a designer by training, Right? Like, you went to fashion school here in Paris.

[Jiro]

I did go to fashion school here in Paris.

[Interviewer 1]

You dropped out?

[Jiro]

I dropped out. I told you that before we started Twitter.

[Interviewer 1]

Incompetence or not too soon.

[Ryan]

Too soon.

[Jiro]

Yeah. But I guess originally I started, like, going to school. We were pattern making, draping, doing women's wear. Just kind of like couture intro stuff. So my first brand was just women's wear doing stuff like that. Sewing. So I do have a design background.

[Interviewer 2]

Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

And then, like, what's the. I mean, how do you fucking design a sneaker?

[Jiro]

I don't know. I mean, I. At first. I mean, when you get the cads and the thing and all that, you just kind of, like, plug colors in and stuff. Obviously, I'm not the only one that worked on this. Nick Guzman, who's in the back, he helped a lot on this style. Shout out Nick. Shout out Nick. Looking.

[Interviewer 2]

Looking cool.

[Jiro]

Yeah, he's the cool guy. So the shoe looks really, really cool. But, yeah, we. You kind of just, like, intuitively, you know, like, you. You just pour. Just kind of like how. What you're feeling into it. And, like, you just. You. You pull these references and you kind of, like, play with things. And it went through tons of iterations before.

[Interviewer 2]

How do you think you did?

[Jiro]

I think they're cool. They're goofy, man. They're. I mean, it's like. I think they look great. The club, I mean, LTD personality, if I had to, you know, assign it, one is all over the place, and it represents a lot of different things. So I think the shoe is favorite. I like both. I mean, they're designed.

[Interviewer 1]

Not pick one Intentions.

[Jiro]

This one is, like, a much more classic table tennis, like, colorway gum sole, black midsole.

[Interviewer 1]

What about the lacing system? Is that yours at Asics?

[Jiro]

The lacing system, Ryan.

[Ryan]

Oh, man.

[Jiro]

I'm. I.

[Interviewer 1]

Like, this is a point of contention.

[Ryan]

No, it was a whole conversation. Oh. But especially about, like, the. What, the toggle?

[Jiro]

Yeah, the toggle.

[Ryan]

He really didn't want it.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, really?

[Ryan]

But wait, you have to have a

[Jiro]

toggle

[Ryan]

for safety reasons, right?

[Interviewer 1]

I take the toggle off for speed reasons. Oh, you're toggless.

[Ryan]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Ryan, how do you, like. What's your process for deciding who's a good fit to collaborate with.

[Ryan]

I mean, we have so many people approaching us now, but the people that. The real strongest ones, I would say, are the ones that really are passionate. You can just kind of tell off the bat whether they really want to work with us or not. And, like, they come in with ideas or, like, they've referenced it in the past. Like, I think that really is, like, how we're really trying to narrow down who we're working with right now.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay, so if anybody out there wants an Asics collaboration, post a picture of Asics.

[Ryan]

Yeah, and then what on Instagram?

[Interviewer 1]

And then what's, like, the weak that you get where you're like, this is not. This ain't it.

[Jiro]

You're gonna name names?

[Narrator/Ad Voice]

I.

[Ryan]

No comment.

[Interviewer 1]

No, it's just like, oh, we want to. We want to do a sneaker because we want a bag.

[Ryan]

People have said that?

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, they've said that. Yeah, I think we said that.

[Interviewer 2]

How do we. How do we. How do you turn people down? What's, like, the. How do we let them down easy?

[Ryan]

Ryan, I don't know if I can give you the strategy, because then people. People will know when I'm saying no.

[Interviewer 2]

Well, they're gonna.

[Interviewer 1]

They better know that you're saying no, otherwise they're never gonna leave you alone.

[Ryan]

Depends. I don't know. Sometimes you're just like, oh, I'm good.

[Interviewer 1]

You're too nice.

[Ryan]

Or sometimes, yeah, no, I'm too.

[Interviewer 2]

You're a diplomatic.

[Ryan]

I'm way too nice.

[Interviewer 1]

All right, question for both of you guys. Besides the LTTT gel Resolution 5, what's your favorite Asics collab ever?

[Interviewer 2]

There's no wrong answer.

[Jiro]

No, there's no wrong answer. I'm not. Yeah, actually, we had a good talk with Alvaro last night over some. Some drinks, and he was. We were talking about where kind of a lot of the influence kind of gets, like, pulled from. And we were talking about, like, Marseille and, like, the streets and the kids and how they kind of keep it real and how they kind of been wearing the same thing still to this day that they have been, like, 10, 20 years ago. And Jules, who's a French artist from the region of Marseille who's extremely famous now in Europe, but Alvaro actually revealed that Asics did a jewel asics shoe in 2008 or how long ago? No, eight years ago. Right? 18. 20. 18. It's, like, hideous, but it's so cool. Like, it's. I think it's amazing, but it's so crazy. And. But that's, like, what Jewel. I mean, Jewel is just like a. He's like an alien.

[Interviewer 1]

It's so bad. It's good.

[Jiro]

Yeah, it's amazing.

[Interviewer 2]

Love that.

[Jiro]

So that. That's kind of what I like. I like the weird, like the corgi thing, the thing that they did before. He was, you know, not as famous as he is now, obviously, but I like that kind of stuff.

[Interviewer 1]

Ryan favorite ever.

[Ryan]

Kiko's first.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan]

Oh, Joburg's one.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, those are really good. How.

[Interviewer 1]

I mean, it's pretty fucking obvious to anyone with eyeballs and a pulse that Asics has absolutely skyrocketed these past few years. What went into that? Is it the collabs? Is it like just being on trend?

[Ryan]

I think it's the collabs, but the product is just good too. Like, we just. I think we make the best product. I'm not paid to say that at all, but I really do think that we do.

[Interviewer 2]

Like, you can.

[Jiro]

You could do.

[Ryan]

You can do anything you want in it, you know, so.

[Interviewer 1]

So product first. But how important were collaborations in, like, kind of effect?

[Ryan]

They're really important. I mean, like Kiko, I mean, we worked with Ronnie for like, I don't even know, like, 18 years maybe. I don't. It's been so long. So, I mean, jound. Jound.

[Interviewer 1]

Huge.

[Ryan]

Cecily Bonson. I mean, there's just so many to name, but they kind of like helped build us up to this point. But that paired with how good our stuff is, I think is just why we're currently doing well.

[Interviewer 1]

You also, like, use them to kind of tap into different communities. I think, like, Kiko is a way to kind of, you know, bring it to like, fashion. What these guys are doing, like, with the community they built, like now you're just plugged in with them.

[Ryan]

Yeah, I mean, just trying to differentiate, like, not too much overlap with each collaborator either, but just trying to find the best way to really authentically speak to everyone, you know?

[Interviewer 1]

And what do you think from your 35,000 foot view? What do you think is the next big thing in sneakers?

[Interviewer 2]

Where are we going?

[Ryan]

I think a lot of other brands are known for doing something really well. I mean, we have like a pretty rich history in doing a lot of things well. And I think just the authenticity piece is probably what's going to really push through for whatever the next trend is. Like, for example, we just do the white and silver runners super well. We've been doing it really well. I would say a lot of people are following us at the moment, but I I mean it's true.

[Jiro]

It's going to be ping pong.

[Ryan]

I mean we've been doing it since 2019. It's going to be. That was like when we did our

[Jiro]

first one, ping pong shoes.

[Ryan]

But we, but we have a rich history in table tennis shoes too. So it's like. But every brand is known for something, you know, So I think that that will really be what they succeed with. Like especially us too.

[Interviewer 1]

And how do you judge, like personally, how do you judge if a collaboration is successful? Is it like sellout rate? Is it like seeing on StockX for $1,000? Like what is. How do you judge the success rate of a collab?

[Ryan]

I mean the sell through is like important but there's other things. I mean you could point to like 10 different things as to why it did well or like judging whether it's good or not. I mean like how excited people are. You could tell like when people are directly DMing you or like commenting on something or the sell through is obviously important, the resale is important. But that's like, that's not the end all obviously. Like we just want to make good stuff that's a little more timeless that people really like. That's just an easy barometer for success to look at though.

[Interviewer 2]

Which one of those means the most to you personally? What do you like to see especially on the projects you've worked on?

[Ryan]

I think if it like resonates with people, you could just tell whether like when something like really you can feel it. Yeah, like, like this one too. I think that a lot of people are really excited, especially back home in LA are really excited for. Because I mean they've, they've deserved this for a minute. But a lot of people have really bought into what they're doing. So for them to really do this I think is like just a huge step for them. And then I think that we're feeling the passion from like everyone else in terms of like how excited they are.

[Interviewer 1]

I want to ask about that. So Jiro, like what's the vibe like at the your weekly ltt? Like the open sessions you have, like is it raucous? Is it competitive? Is it just fun?

[Jiro]

It's a, it's a little bit of everything. I mean it's first and foremost just like it's an open club so anybody can come and play. Sometimes you have little kids, sometimes we have old people, sometimes it's like groups of friends. Sometimes it's people that come alone. So you kind of encounter like every, not like every walk of life. But there's a, there's a very diverse group of people and it's in like the, you know, there'll be 100 people there, 150 people there every week. So there's all sorts of things that happen there. And the level is from, you know, not knowing how to play at all to Ryan.

[Interviewer 2]

That would be Ryan.

[Jiro]

Yeah. If he ever comes one day.

[Ryan]

I'm not, I'm not like ter.

[Interviewer 1]

I went to two, Ryan.

[Ryan]

I've been to two.

[Jiro]

Let's go, let's see it. Yeah, yeah. So there's, there's some people that have been coming since, you know, year one and it's almost year five and you see them progress and they're starting to play more competitively at our club and then they go to other clubs and like they, you know, discover their own version of a passion for table tennis.

[Interviewer 2]

How much gambling is happening? Be honest.

[Jiro]

It's. It's happening behind my back. I don't know. I don't gamble.

[Interviewer 2]

You don't? Oh, you don't gamble?

[Jiro]

I don't gamble.

[Interviewer 1]

Are you the best player in ltt?

[Jiro]

No, no, there's some, there's players that come. I mean, now we're, we're getting like, obviously more known in the like, serious circuit. So like players from like UCLA will come. If Kyle Pack shows up, he'll beat me.

[Ryan]

Who?

[Jiro]

Kyle Pack over there. He's been coming. We started it way back in the day together pre, pre. Lcct. But no kids come. And like I said, behind the bag. I'm good enough to have this club so I can hold my own.

[Interviewer 1]

But you sucked at table tennis.

[Jiro]

Yeah, if I sucked at table tennis, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be here. But yeah, no, there's kids that are like amazing.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you still love it even though it's kind of now like become your job and jobs suck?

[Jiro]

Yeah, no, I'm discovering like all new kinds of dimensions with table tennis that I didn't think were possible because we're kind of one like carving our own lane and also just like encountering these like interesting opportunities, being able to do this with this partnership and the support we get to bring like the energy we have in LA into Paris Fashion Week, which for me, LTT being like a club first and foremost to me has nothing to do with Fashion Week. So it's kind of just like a. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

I mean, what's it like to have gone to school here? Now you're leading a week long activation with the best sneaker brand in the world.

[Jiro]

I think it's cool. My mom's always like, yeah, like, you dropped out of this, like, prestigious fashion school. Like, maybe all your Asian parents, you'll, like, yeah, yeah, like, stick it. All these, like, professors. Maybe they'll show up and, like, you know.

[Interviewer 2]

But I know she's finally proud of you is what you're saying.

[Jiro]

Yeah, okay.

[Interviewer 1]

All it took was an Asics collab. Anyone out there is struggling with your parents, Just give me Asics club. Can you guarantee that this shoe will make you better at table tennis?

[Jiro]

It'll make you feel better playing table.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, and that's what matters, right?

[Interviewer 1]

What's the deal with. Do you hate when people call it ping pong?

[Jiro]

No, I like. I call it ping pong all the time. There's no difference.

[Interviewer 2]

It's not disrespectful.

[Jiro]

It's not disrespectful. I mean, in China, they say ping pong, like it doesn't matter. Yeah, it's the same thing.

[Interviewer 1]

What country is the best at ping

[Jiro]

pong for the past, like, 45 years? Probably China, Korea, Germany, Sweden, Japan. Those are, like, the top five.

[Ryan]

It's like half the world.

[Jiro]

Well, no, like, in, like, India's. India's good. They have a huge able tennis community. South America, like, every country, The US Included. Even though they're, like, not, like, phenomenal. They've never had, like, one. Phenomenal probably since.

[Interviewer 1]

Who's better, LA or New York?

[Jiro]

Oh, I don't know. The west coast is pretty good. The bigger clubs are on the east Coast, I think, but, like, San Francisco, like, Bay Area has, like, massive, massive clubs and really good players.

[Interviewer 1]

All right, just one of the. Maybe a second last question. If you could only visit one store in Paris, each of you. Where are you going?

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, where are we?

[Jiro]

Blowing bags, boys. When I lived here, I was really broke, so I wouldn't go any. Doing any shopping, I think.

[Interviewer 2]

Well, now that you got aces.

[Jiro]

The first place I came here this week when I landed was to go check out this table tennis store. That's all I did.

[Interviewer 2]

You buy anything?

[Jiro]

I bought a few things. They're usually. It's a table tennis store that's based in Estonia that I like, order a lot of stuff from, but they have a store here in Paris.

[Interviewer 1]

Is Estonia nice at table tennis?

[Jiro]

I don't know. I don't know why they're there, actually. But they have good tax reason.

[Interviewer 1]

Probably. It's a tax show. Okay, so you went to a table tennis store. Predictable, Ryan.

[Interviewer 2]

Wow.

[Interviewer 1]

What's the best store In Paris right now.

[Ryan]

I don't think I've ever bought anything here, but.

[Interviewer 2]

Are you serious?

[Ryan]

I went. I went to DSM Paris, like, a couple of days ago just to go to the basement. Have you gone to the A press?

[Interviewer 1]

Is there, like, AC down there or something?

[Jiro]

Like, it's the cold.

[Ryan]

It's the coldest room I've ever been in in my life. And it's just.

[Interviewer 1]

Let's go right now.

[Ryan]

And there's.

[Interviewer 2]

And there's, like, a tea.

[Ryan]

It's sick. It's.

[Interviewer 1]

There's what?

[Ryan]

It's a tea room. Like, it's like this installation that they're doing over there, but it's just pitch black and cold. Fire.

[Interviewer 2]

Damn. All right, I'll see you there, bro.

[Ryan]

Yeah, I'll see you there.

[Interviewer 1]

All right. And what is the one restaurant that we got to go to while we're here?

[Jiro]

Ryan?

[Ryan]

I've been eating a baguette, like, every meal for the last, like, four days.

[Jiro]

We were supposed to have a. Like, a team dinner last night, but he was incapable of making a reservation, so.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, no, bro, he was too busy. They rejected me, and then they got

[Ryan]

mad at me for trying to eat at the restaurant even though I ate there two days ago.

[Jiro]

Yeah, damn.

[Interviewer 1]

What restaurant was it put them on blast? McDonald's.

[Ryan]

I. I forgot. I'll send you the link, though, so you can post it.

[Interviewer 1]

How did they tell you to. Off in the DMs, they're like, we'll

[Ryan]

call you in 30 minutes and we'll let you know if it's even possible or not.

[Interviewer 2]

I'm like, bro, no chance.

[Interviewer 1]

All right, Jiro, you are part French, right?

[Jiro]

Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

Can you please tell your countrymen to get. Get it together and get some better air conditioning?

[Jiro]

I don't understand the deal. I don't understand the deal.

[Interviewer 1]

This is.

[Jiro]

They don't do ice. They don't do ac. I don't know what.

[Interviewer 2]

Not even a cold bev, Dude, I.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, hot orange juice.

[Jiro]

The hot orange juice is great.

[Interviewer 2]

Goes great with a baguette.

[Jiro]

Yeah, I have no words for it.

[Ryan]

Just dip it in.

[Interviewer 1]

All right, well, we want to thank you guys for coming out in this heat and hearing these guys talk. Give it up, Ryan and Jiro. All right, thank you, guys.

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