24Karats and mita Make It Rain with New Mizuno Contender Collaboration
By covering the classic runner in a $100 bill print.
Following up their Wave Rider 1 collaboration from 2019, 24Karats, mita and Mizuno have joined forces once again to craft a new take on the Contender. Though all three collaborative parties are based in Tokyo and share a rich Japanese heritage, the Contender’s inspirations are decidedly American — it draws in equal parts from “dance culture,” the $100 bill and “beef and broc” boots.
Materials both modern and classic collide on the upper: a $100 bill print appears on the ripstop toebox, tongue, quarter and collar, while yellow and brown take up residence on the soft suede overlays. The midfoot’s Runbird logo is done up in green leather to match the collar lining, with co-branded hits embroidered on each tongue.
Insoles feature the same print as the upper, and also add a “01” stamp on the left shoe plus a “17” stamp on the right. Sharp-eyed observers may realize that this is a nod to 24Karats and mita’s stops on the Tokyo Metro’s Hibiya line as Naka-Meguro (1) is near 24Karats, while Ueno (17) is in Mita’s neighborhood. Down below, white midsoles and green outsoles finalize the look.
The 24karats x mita x Mizuno Contender is available now via mita’s webstore. Its MSRP is set at ¥15,950 JPY (approximately $147 USD), inclusive of tax.
For more footwear news, take a look at New Balance‘s sustainable MADE Responsibly 998 initiative, shoes crafted entirely of leftover materials.
