Brand: Mizuno x White Mountaineering
Season: Spring/Summer 2022
Price: ¥29,700 ($260)
Release Date: January 8
Buy: Mizuno's web store, White Mountaineering ZOZOTOWN, select stockists
Editor's Notes: It's quite common for the bigger Japanese brands to take on the role of serial collaborator; everyone from UNDERCOVER to N.HOOLYWOOD demonstrate this with aplomb. White Mountaineering isn't quite as internationally famous as its peers but it's no less hungry to dish joint efforts.
UNIQLO, PORTER, Teva, Disney, Gramicci, Danner, Loopwheeler — White Mountaineering's partnered with 'em all and more.
In fact, its sneaker collabs are particularly far-reaching, having enlisted special drops from adidas, Saucony, and UGG, to name but a few.
The latest footwear imprint to receive the White Mountaineering touch comes by way of Japanese sportswear imprint Mizuno, yielding a pair of futuristic Wave Porphecy 10 sneakers.
Inspired by snow-capped mountains, the two collaborative shoes are even finished with wavy silhouettes of mountaintops, dotted with faux snow on the chunky midsole. Reflective accents and shiny plastic heelcaps boost visibility, if you dare to take these for a nighttime run.
The Wave Prophecy 10's next-level sole really does lend itself well to these kinds of sci-fi colorways, as evidenced by the recent Hajime Sorayama collab.
These are great-looking shoes but perhaps the most interesting element about them is that they represent White Mountaineering's desire to link with seemingly every footwear brand under the sun.
Nike's probably out of the question, for now, but who's to say we won't see them tackle a New Balance or Reebok down the road? All part of White Mountaineering's slow road to dominating the realm of footwear collabs.
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