A lineage of collaboration spun from Mizuno's legendary "Three Feet High" skate shoes.

Have you ever heard of the legendary "Three Feet High" skate shoes once released by Mizuno? It was developed as the first signature model for Yoshifumi Egawa (YOPPI), director of Ombre Nino and designer for XLarge, and was produced by Setsumasa Kobayashi of ..... Setsumasa Kobayashi of "Research" produced and Skate Thing designed the model. What was behind the creation of this fantastic model that brought together the sensibilities of Tokyo? We interviewed Naoki Yamamoto (NAOKI) of Seihalo, a Mizuno collaborator with a deep knowledge of the street culture of the time, and asked him directly about the person responsible for the creation of the model, Mr. Egawa. How did the dots of "Three Feet High" become lines, and how have they been passed down to the present? We will discuss the legendary project and ongoing collaborations such as the recently released "XLarge" x "Mizuno," and look at the appeal of Mizuno as a sports manufacturer.

Photo_Shunsuke Shiga

Text_Maruro Yamashita

Edit_Hiroshi Yamamoto

It all started when Mizuno came up with the idea of making skate shoes.

First of all, I would like to ask you about your relationship with YOPPI and Mr. NAOKI.

YOPPI:I met Naoki's wife first. I was introduced to Naoki-kun in 2005 when I was with his wife. He introduced me as his "boyfriend," right? And then he said, "What are you doing? And we talked. He told me that he was a graphic designer.

NAOKI:It was right around the time that YOPPI was about to start working on "Ombre Niño," wasn't it?

YOPPI:That's right. Naoki was also working on a separate graphic design project around the same time as the Ombre Niño company. It was as if the dots connected to form a line, and I suddenly asked him, "Will you do graphics for Ombre Niño? I asked him if he would do graphics for Ombre Niño.

NAOKI:I want to do it!" I want to do it!

So you have been doing graphics for "Ombre Niño" from rather early on?

NAOKI:I have been working on this project since its inception.

What kind of image did you have of YOPPI?

NAOKI:I don't think it's any different from the image everyone has of you. When I met you for the first time, I was like, "It's the real YOPPI! I was like, "That's the real YOPPI! My wife had known him for a long time, so I was a little concerned that she might think I was a big shot if I was with him because I casually referred to him as YOPPI (laughs). (Laughs.) Since we started working together, I feel like he's a dependable older brother.

I would like to ask you about your current relationship with Mizuno, with a focus on the "Three Feet High" that was released by Mizuno in the past. First of all, "Three Feet High" was released in the late 1990s, more than 20 years ago.

YOPPI:That's great! I've been skateboarding for a long time, but now I'm in the minority of people who know what it was like back then.

For today's young skaters, they were not yet born back then, right?

YOPPI:Indeed (laughs).

Q: How did you come to release your signature shoes from "Mizuno" in the first place?

YOPPI:〈..... I got the opportunity to work with Mr. Kobayashi of . At the time, Mr. Kobayashi had spent two years presenting a project to Mizuno to make Japanese skate shoes for Japanese skaters. Finally, the project came to fruition, and I was approached by Mr. Kobayashi.