WITH soles infused with 60ml of holy water sourced from the Jordan River, this MSCHF x INRI Nike Air Max 97 "Jesus Shoe" sneaker collaboration is either a form of blasphemy or blessing.
Daniel Greenberg, the partnership's head of commerce, told the New York Post, "We were wondering, what would a collab with Jesus Christ look like?"
Who would have thought that a shoe concept with the Messiah — complete with divine platinum white base and sky blue, turquoise accents — would look this cool?
This "Father" of all collaborations also has Vatican red insoles, a Matthew 14:25 inscription ("Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake."), and an actual crucifix securing its laces. Not to mention, the inner sole of the Air Max "Jesus Shoe" is made from frankincense wool, one of the gifts brought by the Three Kings on the night of Jesus' birth, and that the shoebox is sealed with the official Papal Seal and a Melencolia I angel from Albrecht Durer's 1514 engraving.
"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," Greenberg says. "So we wanted to make a statement about how absurd collab culture has gotten."
MSCHF published in a release, "The Vatican has mad style if you really look at it — dope engravings, crazy hats, everything blinged out with gold — so we wanted these shoes to allude to that." And so, they had an actual priest bless the first 20 pairs before making it available.
The holy sneaker, however, has already been sold out since October 8, with only 20 pairs each worth over $3,000. Greenberg clarified that they are in no way affiliated with Nike, and simply bought the 97s at a retail value then did the design manually.
The MSCHF x INRI Nike Air Max 97 "Jesus Shoe" has yet to be restocked, but patrons can still place their bids on StockX, with the starting price of $4000 USD.
The godly pair also has its own official Papal seal and an interactive, graphic website managed by MSCHF.
Meanwhile, a lot of netizens joined in on the Twitter fun:
@mooketsi: "They really put holy water inside a shoe, if my priest doesn't rock those I'm not listening."
@rossy_a_m: "Nike Airmax with Holy Water sole. Oh I can roundhouse-kick satan from now on."
@203Whoa: "Not religious but these are def a work of art."
@ElQuesoBlanco: "If I see you horny mfers outside I'll purify you by stepping on you with my holy water Air Max 97s."