In reference to religious symbolism and the cult appeal of streetwear, digital culture studio MSCHF has created ‘jesus shoes‘. The design injects 60cc of holy water into the bubble of a air max sole to allow wearers to literally ‘walk on water’ with every step. Created with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek attitude, the shoes utilize the classic NIKE silhouette to investigate ideas of devotion in both religion and commercial products.
The sneakers execute on a simple but enduring idea: walking on water. this image is immortalized in matthew 14:25, and has been enshrined as a cultural image of divinity. The hollow air max soles popularized by NIKE provided a perfect opportunity to realize this. the bubbles in the soles are filled with 60cc of holy water, originally sourced from the river jordan and subsequently blessed. Slight coloring has also been added for visibility and styling.
with every step the wearer literally ‘walks on water’ and the motion of the fluid provides a visual counter to the motion of the shoe.
The red of the insoles is inspired by the traditional bright red shoes worn by the pope. Additional details include inscriptions of the book+verse (matthew 14:25) in which jesus is originally depicted as ‘walking on the sea,’ as well as the initials INRI (iesus nazaraeus rex iudaeorum) which were inscribed on the cross.
Jesus shoes explore the cult nature of streetwear brand loyalty, as well as the styling and rich sartorial traditions of the church. Indeed the lasting, rich, symbolism of christianity feels in many ways like the most profound realization of what every logo-centric streetwear brand aspires towards. Whether these shoes make us less bad sinners is up to you. What is clear, for the Sunday Service Holy era, this collab definitely fits in with our zeitgeist, whether gag or serious proof of faith, with over $ 3,000 worth, this shoe is the biggest financial sin.
