Big red boots: What to know about the new celeb fashion trend

Chic or cartoonish? Here’s what to know about Hollywood’s love of those big red boots

A woman wearing big red boots crosses the street.

Feb. 16, 2023 6:47 PM PT

You’ve probably seen them by now on your social media. They’re hard to miss. Those big red boots are everywhere, and not just on celebrities. The thermoplastic polyurethane rubber-shelled boots are straight out of a world like Roger Rabbit’s, where the lines between cartoons and humans are blurred.

And according to the fashion brand that makes them, that’s the point.

“Cartoon boots for a cool 3D world,” reads the Big Red Boot product description on MSCHF’s website. “Cartoonishness is an abstraction that frees us from the constraints of reality. If you kick someone in these boots they go BOING!”

Here’s what you need to know about this season’s hottest — and maybe most debated? — fashion trend.

Who’s wearing them?

Actor and musician Janelle Monáe recently shot some hoops in her big red boots. Producer Diplo was trolled online for donning a pair at the New York Knicks game Monday night. TikTok and Instagram fashion influencers are wearing them. Rappers Rich the Kid and Lil’ Wayne and basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — they’re all rocking the buzzy boots too.

Rapper Coi Leray danced around in the sought-after shoe when she performed “Players” at the Brooklyn Nets halftime show last week. Fellow musician Iggy Azalea tweeted, “Happy big red boot day” alongside a photo of herself in teeny red undies, which she paired with her massive red boots.

WWE wrestler Seth “Freakin” Rollins kicked Austin Theory in the face with his big red boot during an episode of “Raw” this week. (Theory did not go BOING!)

Who makes them?

MSCHF, an art collective based in Brooklyn, is the company behind the boot. Former BuzzFeed employee Gabriel Whaley, who founded the collective in 2016, told Insider in 2020 that his company couldn’t be defined and that he and his colleagues were “fans of mischief.”

MSCHF was also responsible for the AI-generated feet photos and Lil Nas X’s infamous “Satan Shoes” — a Nike Air Max 97 knockoff said to be made with a drop of human blood. After every pair of “Satan Shoes” sold out in less than a minute, Nike sued the company for trademark infringement.

When did they start becoming popular?

The big red boot stepped onto the scene earlier this month before they became available to the public. Celebrities and influencers started to appear in photos and videos wearing a pair so outrageous they couldn’t be ignored.

A woman walks through a store in big red boots.

How much do they cost?

The boots went on sale for $350 on Thursday at 8 a.m. Pacific and sold out “basically instantly,” MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg told The Times via email.

Where can I buy them?

Although they are sold out through MSCHF’s online store, they are still available through resale websites. Ebay has a few listings ranging from $675 to $1,224. Poshmark is also selling a pair for $1,200. Asked when the boots will be available through MSCHF again, Greenberg said, “Not really sure what the future holds.”

Does the internet love or loathe them?

Social media is giving the funky footwear mixed reviews. TikTok user @lilap posted a video of a man seemingly stuck being dragged across the floor while two women tried to remove the boots. “Damn, that’s dumb,” the man in the video said. “I would never get these. Yo, my foot is sweaty!”

@Power106LA tweeted a video of a man dressed like Cupid walking across the street in the big red boots with the caption, “NAAAHHHHH what’s going on with the MSCHF Big Red Boots?!”

And @Lexnthecityyy tweeted a video of TikTok fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye showing off his kicks with the caption, “People can not sit here and tell me these big red boots are not cute and fun.”