Mizuno targets retro-runner market with new Wave Prophecy 'Infinity' campaign

Mizuno is making another deliberate push into the sportstyle market that has transformed the fortunes of its Japanese rival Asics. The Osaka-based brand, best known for running and baseball equipment, has released a six-shoe pack built around the Wave Prophecy, the chunky early-2000s style that was repositioned to cater to the retro-runner consumer.

The “Infinity” campaign presents the Wave Prophecy LS and Wave Prophecy 13.2 that comprise the Burning Dust Pack, showcasing them as a “status symbol,” according to the brand. The shoes are the unifying factor in a narrative built upon a geographical divide, the North and South, representing two independent universes.

The Burning Dust pack is comprised of six parts that include four iterations of the Wave Prophecy 13.2, and two of the Wave Prophecy LS. Each pair features a different gradient, blending two shades from heel to toe.

The Wave Prophecy line was originally introduced as an assisted running shoe back in 2012. By the early 2020s, the line had achieved a new peak in popularity among sportswear enthusiasts.

Mizuno is a performance heritage brand founded in 1906 by brothers Rihachi and Rizo Mizuno in Osaka. In the last few years, the company has been investing in the sportswear market, competing directly with Asics, On Running, Salomon, and other rising companies in the sector. According to StockX's 2025 Big Facts report, Mizuno was one of the platform's fastest-growing sneaker brands, with a 124 percent increase in trades compared to 2024.