MSCHF Designed a Reversible High-Top Sneaker... Sandal?
You can't fault MSCHF for trying. None of the shoes released under the MSCHF Sneakers label are boring, that's for sure.
Neither is the MSCHF BWD High, a new iteration of the existing BWD sneaker that itself is a weirdo lace-up shoe designed to be worn backwards or forwards (co-signed by Donald Glover of all people).
MSCHF later retooled the BWD as the FWD, which reimaged the BWD as a one-way sneaker — in other words, rendering it entirely ordinary.
MSCHF's BWD High is a return to form, such that it is. And that form is wearable both backwards or forwards.
The difference is that while the original BWD makes for a bizarre but still sorta wearable slide sandal of sorts, the BWD High is a truly insane slip-on. Such is life when you're walking around with a huge sneaker heel jutting off your foot.
Releasing on MSCHF's new web store come September 24 for $200, the BWD High is nevertheless one of the more approachable-looking MSCHF footwear designs, at least until you get up close.
To be fair, anything in the company of the Flipped Flop and Big Red Boot is gonna look pretty normal by comparison. Though if you really want a "normal" MSCHF sneaker, well, it makes one of those, too.
This is a new-old era for MSCHF. After enduring a few years of ups and downs, even surviving a handful of corporate lawsuits (sometimes on purpose), long enough to create basically the biggest thing in the world.
Celebrity cosigns, international art shows, and backlash came in turn. Such is life when you secure a few viral hits: Fans who perceive their antagonistic idols as getting soft as they go mainstream never have anything nice.
But MSCHF recently revived its hot streak with clever twists like a cow pre-sold as hamburgers and immoveable toy cars. The BWD High sneaker is similarly aligned with MSCHF's caveat emptor grindset, in this case literally flipping sneaker norms for the sake of once again finding something fresh.
