When Mizuno presented its Wave Prophecy in collaboration with Sorayama, we knew that there would be 3 waves (:-)), and only 3.
The Wave Prophecy was originally a shoe designed by Mizuno for long-distance runners.
Its wave sole construction not only guarantees ideal shock absorption for heavy runners, but also unrivaled comfort for everyday wear, at home, in the office, anywhere.
In January 2021, Mizuno made a big splash by introducing the Wave Prophecy X to the world in collaboration with Japanese designer Hajime Sorayama .
The first wave
An extremely influential illustrator since the 80s, his drawings are instantly recognizable. His retro-futuristic style, which combines a measured eroticism and an immoderate love of technology in a hyperrealistic way, is an integral part of the imagery of the 80s. His posters, featuring humanoid cyborgs in gleaming chrome, with curved shapes, have adorned the walls of many teenagers.
Hajime Sorayama loves silver so much that he wears it from head to toe.
In 2019, he had already participated in the artistic direction of the Dior Homme fall-winter pre-collection. The illustration he had created for the occasion already contained all the artist's codes: the mix of past and future, with a robotic tyrannosaurus rex, chrome for the dinosaur and the Dior logo in which a desert expanse of Utah or Arizona seems to be reflected, and sakura cherry blossoms to recall his native Japan.
Unlike some artistic collaborations in ready-to-wear, where one might suspect that the artist who “signed” it actually discovered it at the same time as the public, the very first model of Wave Prophecy X SORAYAMA undeniably bore the label of the Imabari native.
The master and his creation.
The ultra-shiny appearance of the heel, similar to the reflections of the engine of a Harley-Davidson, leaves no doubt about the artistic ancestry of the model.
This chrome gives the sneaker a retro-futuristic look: it is less an attempt to design the shoe of the future, than a tender nod to the futurism of the 70s, which imagined us in 2030 wearing colorful lycra suits with chrome inserts. The future as it was conceived in the past.
Asics designers were also busy. The usual Wave Prophecy is a resolutely running sports model.
The Mizuno Prophecy 8
Its construction, its colors, its materials leave no doubt about its purpose: it is a tool for running better, longer, faster.
The Mizuno Prophecy X SORAYAMA, on the other hand, is somewhat more bourgeois: its fit is thinner, closer to the foot, less padded. The upper material, elastic and diaphanous, provides more discreet support. The transparent laces are reminiscent of cephalopods. The tongue is called a bellows tongue , meaning that it merges with the rest of the shoe, being attached not only by its base but also by its sides. The Mizuno Prophecy X SORAYAMA therefore slip on like a sock and feel like a second skin.
You could already find this very limited series at Lothaire and the least we can say is that they went at the speed of a sprinter.
The second wave
A few months later, still at Lothaire, we presented the second wave of Mizuno Prophecy X SORAYAMA.
This rare model has become the bête noire of collectors.
Here again, chrome was very present, but with carbon black reflections, reminiscent of the anodizing or vapor deposition technique, well known in industrial design for giving metal a lasting color.
This shiny black was clearly a reference to ruthenium, used in jewelry or fashion to give silver deep petroleum-black reflections, as on this Le Gram bracelet or this pair of Valentino sneakers , to be found at Lothaire.
The third and final wave
Today, Lothaire is proud to present the third wave. And yes, it will be the last. So you should not miss your chance because once it is gone, it will be gone.
The Mizuno Prophecy X SORAYAMA Gold, a model worth its weight in gold.
After chrome and ruthenium, the collection could only end on a high note with the most popular of metals: gold.
It is a color that is regularly found in ready-to-wear and even more so in accessories, but it is surprisingly rarely used in men's shoes.
This is probably because gold is a complex shade to use, not only from a purely technical point of view, since it requires the use of shiny or even mirrored materials, but also and above all because it is difficult to calibrate: too yellow, gold looks fake. Too white, it is indistinguishable from silver.
The least we can say is that the designers at Mizuno have perfectly achieved this balance, with inserts which, depending on the light, display a clear gold, or a more delicate white gold color, closer to champagne.
The upper part of the shoe is always translucent, flanked by the gold RunBird logo .
The outer sole adopts an opaque, almost milky texture. Combined with the off-white of the upper, close to ivory, it gives the shoe a precious, almost luxurious appearance, and recalls chryselephantine , this sculptural technique that combined gold and ivory.
Discover this unique model, and our other Mizuno models , at Lothaire.
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