For a collaboration inspired by worlds cast far beyond our own, Japanese sporting giants Mizuno Sportstyle and German powerhouse AFEW come together to rework the MXR - a silhouette inspired by that iconic Y2K athletics aesthetic, now injected with layer upon layer of detailing.
Before dissecting said details, the palette itself draws from hotspots of desert inhabitation, where populations lay claim to land and build out dwellings horizontally before growing vertically. A parallel universe, not so dissimilar to our own with features somewhat familiar, however alien in the form they adopt - much like the direction in which AFEW have guided their take on the MXR.
Think spaceships, a world that claims the near-future and forces us, as humans, to evolve.
A collaboration should always look to push the envelope, open doors previously locked and overturn rocks with hope of discovering unchartered possibilities, or unexplored realms. The design components that both AFEW and Mizuno Sportstyle have pulled together here exemplifies the concept of limitless possibilities, finding an open sky and heading straight for it.
Beyond the palette adorning a multitude of sandy tones, the silhouette can be deemed a complete rework of the MXR without straying too far from the MXR’s original DNA.
At the toe we see a custom toe box to complement and work in tandem with the reworked tongue design, integrating a wrap-around quick-lace system that spotlights AFEW’s source of dystopian inspiration.
Towards the heel we’re handed unique midsole branding and daintily-decorated bubbles across the heel – rounded off by asymmetrical Runbird embellishment alternating from the medial to lateral wall, and thematically-tuned insole artwork to boot.
