MSCHF injects holy water into NIKE air max 97s to create 'jesus shoes'

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. realized 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.

all images © catalina kulczar

MSCHF’s jesus shoes 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

a steel crucifix accent adorns the laces, which may be styled on or off. custom 100% wool insoles reference the lamb of god and are infused with frankincense, one of the three gifts held to be borne by the wise men on the occasion of jesus’ birth. 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.

the crucifix accent may be styled on or off

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. jesus shoes were created by digital culture studio MSCHF in a limited run dropping tuesday october 8th, 2019.

each sole fills the air max bubble with 60cc of holy water, with additional coloring for visibility and colorway matching

the jesus shoes apply numerous biblical references as modifications to a classic NIKE air max profile

model wears a size 11

it is not inaccurate to summarize streewear’s ultimate aspiration as a conflation of brand, clothing, religion, and cult

clothing and identity have always had devotional aspects

‘matthew 14:25 – shortly before dawn jesus went out to them, walking on the lake’

jesus shoes embody multiple devotional aspects – from the classical religious to the cult of the commercial

modified papal seal for the MSCHF x INRI collab

project info:

project name: jesus shoes

design: MSCHF 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom