What It Lacks in Scale, This Sportswear Company Makes up for in Freak
No one can match Mizuno's freak. What the Japanese sportswear brand lacks in scale — certainly, it's a bit player compared to Nike, adidas, or even primary rival ASICS — it makes up for in freakiness (complimentary).
The Wave Prophecy Moc, for instance, isn't merely a highwater mark in crazy design for Mizuno. It's one of the weirdest sneakers of the past two decades, straight-up.
Mizuno's Wave series shoes are a particular fount of ingenuity, best indicated by Mizuno's Wave Prophecy Strap.
It's a sandal. It's a sneaker. It's both. It's neither. It's crazy! I love it.
We're fortunately in a boom moment for weirdo sneakers that also happen to look quite suave.
And even still, Mizuno's Wave Prophecy Strap is unlike anything else like there. It's got the strappy and breathable upper of a trek sandal, the structured and secure heel of a sneaker, and the ridged outsole of, er, a Zaha Hadid building.
A few prior iterations of the Wave Prophecy Strap wore two-tone monochrome colorways but in single shades, it just looks better. The less going on, the more you can appreciate its nutty design.
And when it comes to nuttiness, Mizuno is unmatched.
How about the bulbous, bizarre Mizuno Energy? Or the laceless ankle-high slip-on it created for nonnative? Only Mizuno, baby.
Available at retailers like Kicks Crew for under $210, don't expect Mizuno's Wave Prophecy Strap to see wide release any time soon. In the vein of the Wave Prophecy Moc, another sleeper hit sell-out, this one is only for the folks who can appreciate its freak. But what glorious freak it is.
