Right/Kohei Ohkita
Designer of Vinyl Archive, established in 2009, and opened the store and gallery SALT AND PEPPER in Ebisu-Nishi, Tokyo, in 2018. This interview was conducted at the store.
Left / Takeshi Saito
He joined Mizuno in 2017 and has been involved in numerous projects including KAZOKU and rhrn.
How Kohei Ohkita joined forces with Mizuno.
-. First of all, can you tell us how and why you came to collaborate with us?
Saito: Vinyl Archive" is a unique Japanese brand. It is not eccentric, but has an overwhelming individuality that cannot be found anywhere else. I personally love this brand and have been a fan for more than 10 years. I have been a fan of the brand for more than 10 years, and I have been moved by it ever since the first time I saw it. If the opportunity arises, I would like to work with them on a project. I have been thinking about it for a long time.
Great North: Thank you . It is nice to know that you care about your brand over the years.
Saito: At some point, I had a chance to connect with Kohei-san on a personal level. Through various coincidences, we decided that now was the right time for us to collaborate.
-I understand that the collaboration is based on the Wave Prophecy, which features a midsole with two overlapping plates.
Wave Prophecy LS VA" collaboration model by Mizuno and Vinyl Archive
Great North: In collaborating with "Mizuno," I took a fresh look at the history of the brand and its current lineup. I toured sneaker stores and visited Mizuno's headquarters in Osaka, where I was shown the entire archive. Among them, I was particularly interested in the "Wave Prophecy.
Saito:The Wave Prophecy is the flagship of Mizuno's running category. The Wave Prophecy LS, the base of this collaborative model, is a lifestyle version of the Wave Prophecy. LS" is a lifestyle version of the Wave Prophecy.
-Why did you choose "Wave Prophecy LS" out of all the models?
Great North: The high-impact, technical design certainly caught my attention, but on the other hand, I have to admit that I wondered, "It's cool, but will it fit my fashion style? But I also honestly wondered, "They look cool, but will they fit my fashion style? However, when I tried them on, I found that they went well with all kinds of pants, and I could match them with any style. Moreover, they are very comfortable to wear. I was surprised at how great these shoes were.
Saito:After discussion with Kohei, we agreed that we should definitely use "Wave Prophecy LS" by all means , and we agreed to go with "Wave Prophecy LS". . This shoe has a very complicated structure and a large number of parts. . I couldn't wait to see how Kohei-san would arrange them.
