MSCHF

With Lil Nas X’s Satan Shoes, MSCHF Has Become The New Supreme

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MSCHF/Uproxx

When your brand is literally called MSCHF, it shouldn’t be a shocker that there’s a good dose of actual mischief embedded in the ethos. That’s exactly what the label behind Lil Nas X’s wildly viral Satan shoes promises to deliver with each of its bi-monthly drops. Note we didn’t say “bi-monthly sneaker drops” — because while the most famous MSCHF products are shoes, they’ve also launched tongue-in-cheek bath bombs, internet browser add-ons, AI-generated feet photos, and rubber chicken bongs, along with various other weird shit and ephemera.

The Satan shoes aren’t the brand’s first brush with viral fame, either. Launched in 2016 and based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (obvi), MSCHF is the same brand that brought you this year’s Birkinstocks — Birkenstock sandals made using the leather from real Birkin bags and those dope as hell all-white Nike Aix Max 97s filled with 60CCs of Holy Water sourced from the River Jordan back in 2019. So while it might feel like they’ve come out of nowhere, stunt marketing like this is very much their #brand.

Everything out of MSCHF comes wrapped in layers of nihilistic irony that attempts to reflect the absurdity of a world where people get hyped over things like Supreme stamped bricks and shrug off stuff like an attempted coup from a game-show-host-turned-President as just another Wednesday in the waning days of the American Empire. But by adopting the uber-capitalistic “bi-weekly drop” cadence of a modern streetwear company, MSCHF is very much part of the world they’re skewering. (The line between viral marketing and literal trolling gets very tough to see when you look at things like MSCHF’s ClickSwipe app, which swipes right on Tinder for you every time you click something with your mouse).

“Our perspective is everything is funny in a nihilistic sort of way,” MSCHF CEO Gabriel Whaley told Business Insider in an interview. “We’re not here to make the world a better place. We’re making light of how much everything sucks.”

If you take those words at face value, MSCHF feels a lot of the old Supreme — which gained legitimate clout via viral product drops. When the Supreme brick happened it was product-as-commentary, a release that reflected the absurdity of the hype machine surrounding the counterculture skatewear brand itself. The fact that people actually paid for it is what made the brick such an iconically dark moment in streetwear history.

These days, Supreme plays its relatively safe, favoring official collaborations over everything, though they’ll still drop a random accessory here and there. The gap in the “is this a real commentary on commerce or just commerce in disguise as commentary?” space that Supreme left behind has since been filled by MSCHF. And the relationship is a weirdly reciprocal one — with MSCHF’s ironic products hitting harder because we saw how well that model actually served Supreme.

Now bring all that context to bear on the Satan shoes — which a judge has just ordered the brand to stop selling. Note, that this isn’t an official collab. MSCHF calls them “art pieces” and that’s correct, though Nike is arguing that the general public isn’t sophisticated enough to know that this devil-themed footwear wasn’t actually made by Swoosh & Co., which also seems to be true. While sneaker customization isn’t illegal, when you’re selling 666 customized sneakers with blood in the air bubble and freaking out square Christian parents across the country, the brand whose shoe you’re using has every right to ask you to chill.

MSCHF will surely cease and desist and their next drop will be all the more anticipated because of this episode. Nike lawyers could squash them, but why would they? Their brand got a little badass-rebel energy from this dance and their PR machine will fight to correct misperceptions among their core suburban fanbase. Round and round we go.

Eventually, the two brands will probably collaborate for real. Again, Supreme laid down the playbook for this. In 2000 Supreme received a cease-and-desist from Louis Vuitton for lifting the brand’s signature monogram print. 17 years later the two brands announced their first of several official collaborations. Let’s hope it doesn’t take that long for MSCHF and Nike to make nice.

What you think of MSCHF’s actual products depends on your life stage and whether its model feels fresh or tired to you. Do you think blood in a shoe is bold? What about a bath bomb shaped like a toaster? Or an Instagram account that proudly proclaims “DO NOT FOLLOW US“? If that sounds corny or if you’re past it because it feels like a retread of Supreme, feel free to look away.

For the rest of us, MSCHF is infusing the world of streetwear and accessory drops with some conversation-starting fun, re-capturing the counter-culture energy of an industry that has become commercialized to the point of banality. Whether it’s capitalism masquerading as rebellion or rebellion masquerading as capitalism is impossible to say. But maybe that, too, is part of the point.

If you want to sign up for early access to MSCHF products click here.

Lil Nas X Is The Best Kind Of Troll — One Who Uses His Power For Good

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Ralph Ordaz/Filip Custic

Lil Nas X is good at the internet — and he should be. At just 21 years old, he was born into a world with social media, smartphones, and all the cultural byproducts inherent to both. He’s a representative member of the first generation to never know a world without PCs, MacBooks, iPhones, and DSPs.

Still, though, he’s better at playing the game than most, a fact best evidenced by the now-well-known circumstances of his rise to stardom. “Old Town Road” didn’t become a mega-hit by accident. Instead, Nas, disillusioned after the lukewarm reception of his debut mixtape Nasarati, shifted gears, putting all of his considerable knowledge and experience at social media trolling into making his country-fried joke song blow up.

Now, those computer troll instincts are again making him the center of attention. Someone less adept at manipulating the narrative and processing the invective he’s taken would crumble under the weight. But Nas, bred in the fires of Stan Twitter flame wars and well-versed in the weird humor of convoluted Reddit memes, has turned every slight against him into another chance to promote “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and its ancillary products.

His gift mirrors that of another colorful and gifted troll who recently lived out his rise and fall in the burning spotlight of internet scrutiny. Tekashi 69 also blew up by playing on social media users’ attraction to controversy. Feeding the algorithms that shove outrage fodder in our faces 24/7, the New Yorker goaded opponents, leaned all the way into his role as a hip-hop heel, and kept up a steady stream of new material to capitalize on the trainwreck quality of his online persona.

Of course, we all know what that got him. While he continues trolling establishment rap media and other artists, the effect is beginning to show diminishing returns. The nonstop negativity he generates may have a sideshow quality, but eventually, there’s only so much you can gawk at the bearded lady before you get bored and look around for something else. In contrast, Lil Nas X is doing the opposite: Using his troll powers for good — or maybe for redemption.

After all, those skills were honed at the cost of childish jokes at the expense of marginalized groups back when Nas just ran a Nicki Minaj stan account. Like many of the Barbz online, he could be seen lashing out at just about any target. Yet, in light of his coming out as gay and knowing the angst that comes along with hiding your identity, his past behavior is understandable, if not acceptable. Hurt people hurt people.

Behind just about every nasty troll comment is insecurity; Nas eventually came to terms with his and is now using his wicked sense of humor to thrash his detractors — people he can likely relate to on some level as a result of his prior experiences — with sarcastic wit and cleverly-planned rollouts that use their criticisms as free promotion.

So when his music video’s Luciferian lapdance prompted accusations of devil worship, Nas judo-flipped those complaints by pointing out the fire-and-brimstone recriminations that have been leveled at queer people for the past century — and that he’s not the first to use such imagery, highlighting the potential hidden agendas of those accusers. When his customized Nike Air Max collaboration with MSCHF was demeaned by Fox News, he smoothly noted the hypocrisy of freedom-of-speech advocates with a humorous knock on Chick-Fil-A’s proud support of anti-gay groups and legislation. The shoes sold out in 60 seconds, adding insult to injury for his haters.

By offering up this provocation, not only does Nas generate streams, views, and ultimately, dollar signs, he also provides an example that he didn’t have growing up: A gay, Black man standing up to the establishment — and winning. He’s laying a blueprint for the kid who feels that they can’t be themselves without facing persecution, who would otherwise turn into the bullies they feared through online trolling.

The anonymity the internet provides allows the opportunity for reinvention, but it also incentivizes our worst impulses. Clap backs get the most engagement, algorithms guide lost souls down dangerous roads of conspiracy theory and hatred, and outrage is more valuable than Bitcoin, DogeCoin, and Ethereum put together. What Lil Nas X has done with “Montero” and his so-called “Satan Shoes” has exposed these tendencies and silently invoke the query, “What are you going to do about it?”

By calling out the silliness of outrage culture, he’s also subtly calling out the absence of anything better — and challenging us to create that missing alternative. For every hell, there must be a heaven; if Lil Nas X’s fantastical video bothers you so much, maybe you need to find somewhere positive to put that energy. After all, you’re unlikely to see a pair of those Air Max 97s out in public and you won’t have to watch the “Montero” video unless you go to YouTube searching for it. That’s the thing about trolls; the more you feed them, the stronger they get. At least this one is trying to make the world a slightly better place.

Nike Reportedly Sues MSCHF Over The Lil Nas X ‘Satan Shoes’

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YouTube

Over the weekend, Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth speculated that Nike might have grounds to sue Lil Nas X collaborator MSCHF over its “Satan shoes” — customized Nike Air Max 97s supposedly featuring a drop of blood mixed with red ink in each of the 666 pair’s Air Max units — made to promote Nas’ new single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” Well, it looks like the sneaker giant really has done just that, with New York Times Sports reporter Kevin Draper posting a copy of the first page of a lawsuit filed in New York’s Eastern District for trademark infringement, false designation of origin/unfair competition, and trademark dilution.

It’s not an entirely unusual move for Nike, which jealously guards its trademarks but usually allows for customizers and collaborators to sell limited runs of its sneaker models. Just recently, Nike settled a lawsuit with streetwear brand Warren Lotas, which sold a lookalike sneaker it collaborated with Jeff Staple on. The “Illegal Fake” sneakers toyed with the design of the Nike Dunk, transforming the trademark swoosh into a hockey goalie mask a la Jason Voorhees of the Friday The 13th franchise. However, rather than going to court, Warren Lotas agreed to cease production and sale of its shoe and refrain from creating similar designs in the future.

As MSCHF and Lil Nas used Air Max 97s to create their controversial sneaker and judging from the confusion displayed on Fox News and in other outlets, something similar could happen here, although there are some differences as well. MSCHF didn’t create a new sneaker similar to Nike’s, it simply bought and customized several pairs of the existing shoe. Still, MSCHF may not want to go toe-to-toe in court with the behemoth brand and choose to settle as well. However, they won’t have to pull shoes from any shelves; according to Lil Nas X, all 666 pairs sold out within a minute of availability.

A Fox News Anchor Condemned Nike For Lil Nas X ‘Satan Shoes’ And Got Checked By His Colleague

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Getty Image

Lil Nas X’s collaborator on those controversial “Satan shoes,” MSCHF, is living up to its name. The design collective’s marketing for the customized Air Max 97 has certainly riled up a fair number of commentators, including Fox News’ Pete Hegseth. The Fox & Friends anchor bit the bait hard, censuring Nike over the shoes and making a false equivalence to a planned pair of Air Max 1s that was discontinued and recalled by the shoe giant over its use of the original, 13-star version of the American flag.

Of course, Hegseth missed the part where Nike wasn’t directly involved in the creation of MSCHF’s limited-edition pair and was promptly fact-checked by none other than Adam Klotz, the show’s weekend meteorologist. He pointed out that “they’re not really Nike. They’re Nike shoes, but there’s a middleman who bought Nike shoes and turned them into these.” To save face, Hegseth posited that the manufacturer could file a lawsuit against the customizer, which … no, man. Just, no.

As far as the story behind those Betsy Ross Air Max 1 goes, those were discontinued by the brand itself after Colin Kaepernick, one of Nike’s most prominent spokespeople, reached out to the company’s leadership with concerns about the old flag’s repurposed connotations. He wasn’t the only one; users on social media also called on Nike to reconsider the design, pointing out how its behind appropriated by some white supremacist groups due to its connection to the nation’s early history when slavery was still legal.

Meanwhile, Nike had just taken flak from conservative groups, including Fox News, over partnering with Kaepernick after his protest of the national anthem at football games. In both cases of conservative backlash, the targets of their complaints would appear to be the victors; not only did Nike boast a 4% sales increase in 2019, Lil Nas X’s customized sneakers sold out within a minute of going on sale.

Watch the clip from Fox & Friends above.

Lil Nas X’s Upcoming ‘Satan Shoes’ Have Earned A Divided Reaction From Fans And Confusion From Critics

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YouTube

Lil Nas X has left the internet in a bit of a frenzy this past weekend thanks to his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video. The images of hell and the singer’s interaction with a devilish character in the visual have left fans with mixed reactions toward it. However, that’s only half of it as a collaboration has made some even more upset because of its satanic inspiration.

Lil Nas also announced an upcoming shoe collaboration with viral company MSCHF. The two have partnered for limited edition customized Nike Air Max 97s that have been dubbed as “Satan Shoes.” Set for a March 29 arrival, the shoes will contain a drop of human blood mixed with ink inside its sole and only 666 pairs will be available at the price of $1,018.

For what it’s worth, the shoe collab is just a flip of Air Max 97s that MSCHF released back in 2019. The “Jesus Shoes” were filled with 60cc of Holy Water from the Jordan River. In addition to that, as some have mistaken, the Satan Shoes are not the result of a partnership with Nike. A spokesperson for the brand denied the existence of a collab with the shoes saying, “Nike did not release nor design these shoes.”

What actually happens here is MSCHF purchases the shoes sold by Nike and adds their own designs and modifications to it before reselling them. MSCHF is also known for these unorthodox releases as a 2020 Business Insider profile credited them for “creating some of the most absurd, cynical, and viral projects and products that have spread across the internet.”

Keeping all of this in mind, some fans are upset with the theme of Lil Nas’ and MSCHF collab while others see no issue with it. As expected, they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

You can read some reactions below and to learn more about the Satan Shoes, click here.