Sfida Taps Meguru Yamaguchi for Soccer Ball Collaboration Series
Two dynamic versions featuring the artist’s gestural brushstrokes.
Tokyo-based sports label Sfida unveils a new partnership with celebrated visual artist Meguru Yamaguchi. Entitled “VAIS ULTIMO x MEGURU YAMAGUCHI,” the collaboration encompasses a series of limited edition soccer balls featuring Yamaguchi’s signature, gestural brushstrokes — they will also be the official game balls for the EAFF 2022 Championship match.
The collaboration is comprised of two different versions: one predominantly featuring red tones and the other in blue. As far as the balls are concerned, they were produced with an epoch-making 12-sheet uniform panel shape and a thermal bonding method to improve trajectory stability, sphericity, kicking comfort and visibility during play.
“This is a project with the hope that this one ball will become the sun that illuminates the dark world, give courage to as many people as possible, and become a positive opportunity,” said the artist in a statement. “I was fascinated by the world of art when I was a kid, and since then I’ve been just walking the path of art, but this time I was able to connect with the world of sports. I am very happy to think that the road I have walked is actually connected to various worlds, and I will continue to pursue the possibilities of art, and I hope that there will be various encounters beyond that.”
The “VAIS ULTIMO x MEGURU YAMAGUCHI” series will be on sale starting April 2 at Sfida online stores and sports retailers nationwide.
For more sports-meets-art installments, check out Michael Kagan’s latest solo exhibition that features dynamic portraits of F1 drivers.
