MANILA, Philippines—Product design company MSCHF customized some pairs of Nike Air Max 97s that are straight up holy.
As per Esquire and Hypebeast, the Brooklyn-based company injected 60cc of water originally sourced from River Jordan, which were then put to the blessings of a priest, into the Air Max units that would allow the wearer to walk literally on holy water.
Keeping true to the holy thematic and to the Vatican, the pairs feature red insoles scented with frankincense, a steel crucifix on the shoelaces and the inscription Matthew 14:25 written on the side of the midsole.
The verse reads “during the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea,” referring to Jesus’ miracle of walking on water.
MSCHF head of commerce Daniel Greenberg said the absurd design was meant to poke fun at the sneaker collab culture that has since taken the sneaker community by storm.
“We thought of that Arizona Iced Tea and Adidas collab, where they were selling shoes that [advertised] a beverage company that sells iced at bodegas,” said Greenberg in a report by the New York Post.
“So we wanted to make a statement about how absurd collab culture has gotten.”
Retail pairs of the holy water-infused sneakers have already sold out but those who still want to rock the shoes can place their bids on StockX with the lowest asking price set at 3,999 USD for a size 12 pair.
There are still nine pairs available on the website. The smallest is size 9 with an asking price of 3,999 USD and the most expensive one being a size 11 pair at 11,666 USD.