There’s Plenty Freak Left in Mizuno’s Beautifully Bonkers Boat Shoe
The Wave Prophecy Moc is Mizuno’s most insane shoe. Which is really saying something, because the Japanese sneaker label is famously freaky.
This is the mastermind behind orthopedic sandals held together by a confusing array of straps and running shoes where the heels literally hover above the ground. But they’re no match for the Mizuno Prophecy Moc, where a huge, wavy, hole-filled sole combines with a leather moccasin upper that sits somewhere between a loafer and a boat shoe. It’s the sneaker-loafer’s weirdo older relative, and it’s only getting weirder.
Two new Wave Prophecy Mocs unveiled almost simultaneously are proof that there’s plenty more experimentation where this Frankensteined footwear hybrid came from. In fact, Mizuno’s wildest shoe can get so avant that it’s museum-worthy.
LVMH, the mammoth luxury goods conglomerate that owns everything from Louis Vuitton to Dom Pérignon to the Cheval Blanc hotel, is hosting a Japanese craft exhibition at the headquarters of its Métiers d'Art, a division tasked with preserving and developing artisanal manufacturing skills. One of the standout inclusions is a special edition Wave Prophecy Moc.
Here, Mizuno replaced the shoe’s leather with paper — specifically, washi paper, a handmade Japanese paper produced from the inner fibers of plants, and it looks surprisingly slick atop this strange combination of high-tech sole and elderly suede shoe. You could easily mistake it for cotton canvas.
In fact, the paper shoes look even more wearable than Mizuno’s upcoming Setsumasa Kobayashi Wave Prophecy collaboration, and yet the latter is the only one releasing to the public. Go figure.
As if Mizuno’s Wave Prophecy Moc wasn’t already busy enough, Kobayashi, founder of outdoor label Mountain Research, adds a clunky strap to the top. Plus, going against the grain of the shoe’s typically reserved colorways, it comes in chocolate brown interjected with navy medial panels.
Although there is also a black colorway, for those who don’t want wild Wave Prophecy Mocs at their absolute wildest.
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