The Mizuno Contender is here, and it’s important, inspiring and beautiful. The Osakan brand brings us another quality sneaker; built to last, and to tell a story.
With a rich history of almost 120 years, Mizuno have reliably provided us with a constant wave of strong releases, and now they’re bringing another hit to the table. This latest release takes us back to their Japanese roots, with a nod to Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese art of pottery repair.
The premium suede and mesh comes in a mix of subtle, dusty tones, making them a very wearable pair. Then the Contenders work in some chicory coffee brown on the Runbird logo, whispering autumnal vibes. However, it’s the minimalistic use of lines to represent Kintsugi which steals the show. Along with the sloping lines across the lateral side logo, representing the lacquer used to repair the imperfections, it also has another subtle white stripe along the lower quarter.
In keeping with the running heritage of this 1995 silhouette, the perforation vents are still added purposefully across the upper. The rich gold colouring seeps through in between, marrying the Kintsugi artwork on the tongue with the mudguard, logo and heel of the sneaker. All this, meanwhile, reminding us of the message of Kintsugi; that imperfection is important, inspiring and beautiful. And from this imperfection, that we should learn, and improve.
The Mizuno Contender Kintsugi Pack will release through Footpatrol and END among others – so keep your eyes peeled for this Autumn must-have. A big thank you to Hartcopy and Tommycorlito (IG) for the pair.