Images via MSCHF, @emilyb_, @coileray
The sneakersphere has grown to be a very contentious place. Every release and collaboration sparks a hotbed of commentary and discourse, every colorway instigates a debate. Fun? Who is she? Where has she gone?
The landscape has been prepped and primed for MSCHF for some time now. Part marketing agency, part design collective, MSCHF is a true disruptor on the scene with more than its fair share of viral moments — an "is it ketchup is it makeup?" collab with Fenty Beauty, a wave-soled Vans-inspired sneaker that landed them in litigation (naturally,) and boots that look like casts —but aren't — but are they? (I have a pair and I actually couldn't tell ya.)
MSCHF took its own brand of refreshing ridiculousness to new heights with its big red boot, aptly naming them Big Red Boots. Astro Boy? Boots from Dora the Explorer? Ronald McDonald? All of the above. And despite being nearly difficult to remove for the thick-calfed among us, these damn boots are on every damn body.
Coi Leray performed in them, Emily B donned them on her b-day (the highest honor in the world of Instagram baddies), certified cool guy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put them babies on like he's been wearing rubber boots his whole life. The internet had a field day.
Do the Big Red Boots signal a shift in footwear. Well, yeah. The cycle of "reinventions" of the same silhouette has grown quite stale and in the interest of virality the envelope gets pushed further and further. Its the return of the conversation piece, people. And I'm here for it.
This year, expect minimalism to take a back seat to the fanciful and avant garde. Expect clownery, quite literally in this case, and in the best way possible. Consider it a necessary break from the monotony and a free pass to act like a bozo.