Welcome to the 162nd insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode, we look at MSCHF’s inescapable ‘Big Red Boots’, explaining the genius marketing tactics used to create such a viral product.
Three days ago, the American art collective MSCHF (mischief) debuted a teaser for their latest oddity. Titled ‘Big Red Boots’, the internet would erupt at first sight of these… well, big red boots, hurling both criticism and praise towards the so-called BRBs. Since, the boots have garnered mass infamy online, sported by just about every relevant fashion influencer. Flooding timelines across the world, we can only question just how these obscure accessories came to be, and perhaps ask why they even exist in the first place.
Our first glimpse of the Big Red Boots debuted on the feet of model @sarahfuckingsnyder. Through a 10-slide photo shoot, we’d better understand how clunky these shoes really are, described by MSCHF themselves as “REALLY not shaped like feet, but EXTREMELY shaped like boots”. Riding high up the shin, the BRBs are a laceless, hardware-exempt alternative to just about any other bottom, meeting the quota for absurdity, maximalism and inexcusable virality.
If you feel like you’ve seen them before, it’s probably because you have. The Big Red Boots were created in reference to the Japanese anime ‘Astro Boy’, and have been tweaked only along the outsole. In fact, the shoe’s footprint is our only brand identifier, aside from their ridiculous silhouette of course, reading MSHCF in subtle lettering.
While this level of exposure is certainly new to the label, intense guerilla marketing strategies have always been at their root. Seen through the likes of Jimmy Fallon’s collaborative Gobstopper sneaker, ATM leaderboard installation, blurry stack of cash, or even the thousand key car, it’s clear MSCHF is not a brand or creative collective but rather a Magnus opus in the marketing field. Nonetheless, we await the brand’s next artistic endeavour, promising mass interest and a distinct emphasis on conversation.
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