- Mizuno Sportstyle has named Italian rapper Guè its new Global Sportstyle Ambassador, extending the Japanese brand's growing roster of music-world partners.
- The tie-up traces back to Guè's December 2025 trip to Tokyo, a city both artist and brand describe as a shared touchstone.
- This is Guè's first-ever partnership with Mizuno, framed as a "dialogue between Tokyo and Milan."
- The signing follows Mizuno Sportstyle's May 2026 ambassador deal with rapper Freddie Gibbs.
Mizuno Sportstyle, the lifestyle arm of the 120-year-old Japanese sports brand Mizuno, has named Italian rapper Guè as its newest Global Sportstyle Ambassador, extending a growing run of partnerships with figures from the music world.
According to the brand, the deal took shape during Guè’s visit to Tokyo in December 2025, a city it calls a long-standing source of inspiration for the rapper and one that mirrors Mizuno’s own philosophy.
The partnership is built around shared values: attention to detail, pursuit of excellence, and the idea of a product as personal expression. Mizuno frames it as a bridge between Tokyo and Milan, sport and music, heritage and modernity.
Guè, born Cosimo Fini in Milan on December 25, 1980, is one of Italian hip-hop’s most established names. He co-founded the group Club Dogo before launching a solo career with 2011’s Il Ragazzo D’oro.
His catalog since includes GVESVS (2021), featuring Rick Ross and Jadakiss; the double-platinum Madreperla (2023); and his tenth album, Tropico del Capricorno (January 2025), certified gold and led by the Rose Villain duet “Oh mamma mia.”
Earlier this year, he released the mixtape Fast Life 5: Audio Luxury with producer Cookin Soul. In 2024, he reunited with Club Dogo for ten sold-out shows at Milan’s Forum and a San Siro Stadium date, and he’s currently on a European arena run behind the single “Vibe.”
This marks Guè’s first partnership with Mizuno. The brand’s ambassador roster has traditionally leaned athletic, including footballer João Félix, before extending into music with rapper Freddie Gibbs, named Mizuno Sportstyle’s first-ever non-athlete Global Brand Ambassador in May 2026.
The signing lands amid a broader wave of hip-hop-meets-sportswear tie-ups this year, from Action Bronson’s New Balance 1890 “Planet Frog” capsule to Method Man narrating Foot Locker’s 50th-anniversary campaign, proof that heritage sport and sneaker brands are increasingly leaning on rap’s cultural credibility to reach new audiences.
Takeaways
This reads like Mizuno Sportstyle doubling down on a strategy it only started testing three months ago. Signing Freddie Gibbs in May broke a 120-year athlete-only tradition; adding Guè shows it wasn’t a one-off; it’s a real playbook, built around artists whose personal connection to Japan feels genuine rather than manufactured.
For Guè, it’s a meaningful step up in brand stature. His endorsement history is thin next to peers like Marracash or Sfera Ebbasta, so a global sportswear ambassadorship gives him a fashion credential to match his chart dominance.
The timing is notable, too: he just wrapped a sold-out Club Dogo reunion run and is touring arenas at the peak of a career moment, not fading from one.
Will Mizuno Sportstyle keep expanding its ambassador roster beyond hip-hop into other genres or regions? Does this open the door for more Italian rap figures to land global sportswear campaigns?
