MSCHF’s Big Red Boots – And Do They Have A Deeper Meaning?

Angélique Gouws

If you are at all active on social media, you have likely heard of MSCHF’s Big Red Boots. They are taking over internet fashion by a storm, with celebrities like Rich the Kid and Lil’ Wayne styling these jumbo, almost fake-looking boots. They’re dubbed as the “Astro Boots”, inspired by the Japanese Manga character Astro-Boy’s ridiculously large footwear. MSCHF released them on February 16th, selling them at $350 directly off the website. 

These boots, however, have stirred up quite the controversy. 

One TikTok comment even compared the boots to having a “satanic” look, which is not a new topic for MSCHF thanks to their Lil Nas X “Satan Shoe” collab in 2021. I’m not sure if this comment really applies to these boots though, because they are more of a mickey mouse vibe than anything else. 

But aside from the basics of the Big Red Boots and its controversy, are these boots a glimpse into what street-style fashion is set to become? Are we entering an era of maximalist, over-the-top every day looks?

Are we entering an era of maximalist, over-the-top every day looks?

We’ve seen it before in the 50s, when women began to dress in exaggerated clothing pieces following the plain fashion trends of WW2. Then again in the 70s, with the birth of neo-expressionism following the rather minimalist 60s “sleek”. The 80s and 90s were both definitely eras of interesting clothing expression, but I wouldn’t consider the 90s maximalist. Perhaps the 90s and early 2000s were even minimalist, with the rise of low-rise jeans and pencil-thin eyebrows. Then there was the dreaded 2010s – the tragic time period of style comparable with the dullness of pre-1950s fashion. Looking back on it, I don’t know how we were able to dress that way without feeling a tsunami of self-hatred. So now that we are in the 2020s, I’d say that we are well overdue for a rise in huge, over-exaggerated looks.

Maybe this is a hot take, but just as the 50s gave us an eruption of maximalist fashion following WW2 (1939-1945) and the great depression (1929-1939), perhaps the 2020s are going to repeat this following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

As we all know, the pandemic was a time of fear, grief, and genuine boredom with everyone being locked at home. You would think that this would halt creativity, but I actually think it sparked it. The sheer boredom of the pandemic sparked the rise of kid-core, “indie” fashion, with the help of TikTok and everyone being online. We saw drawn-on freckles, hyper-saturated photos and videos, and outfits with very contrasting colour-palettes. Even I fell victim to the dyed “e-girl” front hair strands. 

But what I am trying to say is that, similarly to how 50s maximalist fashion was a reaction to the war, I think these present and up-coming trends of the 2020s are a reaction to the pandemic, and these boots are a key representation.

Or maybe the Big Red Boots represent a shift in societal norms. 

Men starting to wear skirts, women feeling less pressured to shave their legs, people feeling more comfortable not assigning themselves or “acting” like a certain gender. These all go against what has been deemed culturally acceptable within the western world for centuries. Shoes like these, paired with crazy outfits – it’s standing up to what is considered “normal”.

Or it could just be the next fad.

I mean, dressing more alternatively or “uniquely” is definitely more popular now. I see girls from middle/high school who used to wear the leggings+hoodie+vans look and make fun of kids who dressed anything other than that now post on their socials photos of them with bleached brows. Now don’t take this the wrong way, I have nothing against hoodies and leggings. I had those dark times where I wore them too. But what I am trying to say is that dressing more “unique” is becoming more popular, and definitely starting to trend. Those same girls who would bully you if you didn’t wear leggings, will now probably bully you if you do. It’s all about what’s trending. 

But again don’t take this the wrong way. I think the bleached brows look eats. Like I am literally going to bleach mine. 

It’s kind of how being unconventionally attractive is becoming more and more popular.

Q: Is going against social norms the new social norm?

Another “theory” that comes to mind, is that is the surge of popularity of these boots a big gag? Like maybe a publicity stunt, to see how many people fall for the hype surrounding these boots. Maybe stylists are trying to see how susceptible the general population is to products when they are bombarded with their favorite celebrities wearing them pre-release. I mean, I don’t really expect people to have found these boots cute 6 months ago, let alone a few weeks ago. And when they first started popping up on my feeds on various social medias, I saw a lot more hate for them than I do now. It’s just been since the up-surge in marketing, and mass amount of celebrity publicity/popularity within the past week or so, that I have seen more positivity surrounding the Big Red Boots. 

A social experiment, maybe?

These are all thoughts and ideas that have sparked from this shoe. I feel like the boots really represent a whole bunch of meanings, and that you can draw a wide variety of conclusions from them.

Maybe you agree with me, maybe you don’t, but keep in mind that this is very much my hot-takes, and the immediate, genuine thoughts that bombarded my brain as soon as I saw the Big Red Boots. 

I really would love to try them on, because I think they look so satisfying to wear. They have such an animated look that they barely look real, and I think I would feel like I was in a cartoon if I tried them on. 

Anyways, here are some cool looks people have paired with these boots, pre-release.