HANON’s Mizuno Contender Is an Ode To Japanese Football (& Dolphins)
After connecting over a football capsule in 2021, HANON and Mizuno meet again to take a spin at the OG Contender sneaker for their second linkup.
HANON and Mizuno's 2021 collection, which teased the HANON x Mizuno Contender, saw the duo give Nagoya Grampus' team jerseys a makeover.
Rather than going with the football club's traditional colors, HANON opted for a muted scheme of grey, black, and white inspired by the grampus dolphin — the team's mascot and the city's most recognized symbol.
HANON's Mizuno Contender — which lands on HANON's website via raffle starting on January 26 — merely serves as an extension of the previous linkup, materializing as yet another ode to the city of Nagoya (and its Risso's dolphins, of course).
On the shoe's upper, moments of grey and shimmering silver leather mingle with suede overlays in teal and seafoam green, drawing cues from the animal's look and, of course, aquatic dwellings.
You'll also notice some faint dash-style artwork on the grey paneling, which nods to the grampus' distinctive scar marks — a result of run-ins with the ocean's predators.
Naturally, synergic branding strikes the shoe's insoles and tongue — Mizuno's logo stitched one pair's tongue while HANON's flame motif strikes the other.
On the hand, HANON and Mizuno's campaign, which is centered around a football field filled sprinkled with the collaborative shoes, speaks to the essence of the sport and the city's J1 League team.
An underrated gem in Mizuno's catalog, the Contender has enjoyed some well-deserved attention as of late, from an honorary tea ceremony to receiving the Naruto treatment. Thanks to HANON, the Contender is back in the spotlight fresh into 2023.
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