MSCHFFrom what I recall of RE lessons, Jesus and his disciples were pretty keen on Birkenstock-style sandals – ideal for taking your discerning biblical bloke from hilltop sermons to supper with the lads.
But no doubt had they been strolling about in modern-day Brooklyn, Jesus and friends would have been sporting far more city-ready footwear.
As a young and rebellious group of mates, they would perhaps have opted for trainers that stick two fingers up to the consumerism of collab culture. And not even Thomas would doubt these are the ideal kicks to make your triumphant Palm Sunday entrance in.
MSCHFCrafted by Brooklyn-based product design company MSCHF, these ‘Jesus Shoes’ are Nike Air Max 97 shoes that have been customised with a distinctly theological theme in mind.
Kind of like having two mini cathedrals for your feet, Jesus Shoes have actual honest-to-God holy water injected into the bubble soles. As reported by the New York Post, this water originates from the Jordan river and has been blessed by a priest.
Two dozen pairs of these saintly sneakers were created, each one bearing a crucifix pendant attached to the laces and a reference to Matthew 14:25 (‘And in the fourth match of the night he came to them, walking on the sea’).
When the ‘100% frankincense wool’ shoes dropped on Tuesday morning, it took mere minutes for them to sell out on retail site StockX.
MSCHFIt’s admittedly unlikely Jesus – a notably non-materialistic individual – would have approved of the steep price tag on these shoes, however ironic the intentions may be.
At $3,000 (£2,451), these would have been far out of the monthly budget of your first century Galilean carpenter – even one who didn’t have to worry about buying wine for a dinner party. However, this hasn’t stopped trainer fanatics from splashing out.
Speaking with the New York Post, MSCHF head of commerce Daniel Greenberg explained the shoes had been created to poke fun at ‘absurd collab culture’:
We thought of that Arizona Iced Tea and Adidas collab, where they were selling shoes that [advertised] a beverage company that sells iced tea at bodegas.
So we wanted to make a statement about how absurd collab culture has gotten.
Greenberg added:
We were wondering, what would a collab with Jesus Christ look like? As a Jew myself, the only thing I knew was that he walked on water.
MSCHFAccording to the New York Post, MSCHF purchased the sneakers at retail price before hand-creating the design, with no affiliation with Nike.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.