Nike's £3K 'Jesus Shoes' filled with holy water sell out in one minute
A design company has created a pair of Nike trainers filled with holy water and adorned with a steel crucifix.
They were listed online for $1,425 (£1,142) on Tuesday morning and sold within a minute.
The one-of-a-kind trainers have since been re-listed on buying and selling website Stock X, and the current highest bid is $4,000 (£3,209).
MSCHF, a Brooklyn-based creative arts company, customised a pair of Nike Air Max 97 trainers to create the so-called ‘Jesus Shoes’.
The water was sourced from the River Jordan (where, per Christian tradition, Jesus was baptised) and blessed by a priest in Brooklyn, Daniel Greenberg, the company’s head of commerce, told CBS News.
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Explaining the vision behind the shoe, Greenberg explained that the trainer was designed in response to “ridiculous brand collaborations” such as Arizona Iced Tea and Adidas.
“We set out to take that to the next level,” he added.
Today we dropped the MSCHF X INRI Jesus Shoe. White Nike Air Max 97’s with 60cc of holy water from the River Jordan in the sole. Walk on water 🙏https://t.co/0qsjSZhSFo pic.twitter.com/1ZTHILmVj5
— Gabriel Whaley (@Gabriel_Whaley) October 8, 2019
“We asked ourselves, 'What would a shoe collab with Jesus look like?' Obviously, it should let you walk on water. 'Well, how can we do that?' You pump holy water into the pocket of a pair of Air Max 97's and with that, you get Jesus Shoes — the holiest collab ever,” said Greenberg.
While the trainer is intended to be satirical, it has received a mixed response on social media.
Some Twitter users have mocked the sky-high price tag while others have called the footwear “blasphemy”.
Gullible people and their money...
— ✨T Thrasher✨ (@Terryinindy) October 10, 2019
Fools and their money are soon parted!
— (((Panfusine))) (@panfusine) October 10, 2019
I am not a religious man but I seem to remember from school that Jesus wasn't into money. It's a hard no from me.
— Turd Ferguson 🍊 (@tH1nkFas7) October 10, 2019
Bordering on blasphemy, I think
— Paul Chapman (@PaulChapman1954) October 10, 2019
However, others are apparently on board with the Jesus inspired concept.
Those Nike 'Jesus Shoes' look quite sick tbh pic.twitter.com/yfoAKEDhRM
— 𝕾pooky Mui (@muinatabdul) October 10, 2019
This is SO GOOD you guys
— The Andreaville Horror (@andrea_h1ckey) October 8, 2019
I'm constantly in awe of the work you all are doing. It's just...so fun!
— Joanna Kennedy (@JKennedy8) October 8, 2019
This isn’t the first shoe collaboration that’s inspired something of a cult following.
Earlier this year, a line of special edition Crocs shoes designed in collaboration with American rapper Post Malone sold out in less than 10 minutes.