Thanks to MSCHF, Future has been spotted in a pair of what’s being billed as “the most exclusive sandal ever made.”
Indeed, as seen on the recent Lil Uzi Vert collaborator’s Instagram, the sandal in question is the Birkinstock. As the name makes clear, the sandal boasts leather that’s sourced from genuine Birkin bags, which are disassembled before being flattened and cut into a pattern atop a Birkenstock cork footbed with a rubber sole.
The inspiration for the Birkinstock project, as one of MSCHF’s creative directors—Lukas Bentel—told the New York Times on Monday, was to inspire consumers to question a very specific symbolism associated with the popularity of the bags.
“Birkin bags are like a cultural meme, a symbol for a certain kind of wealth,” Bentel said.
The sandals range in price from $34,000 to $76,000 due to the differing amount of materials required for any given buyer’s size. A rep for MSCHF confirmed to Complex in an email that the cost of Future’s pair was $48,000.
Other confirmed buyers thus far include Kehlani and an “unnamed art collector.”
Of course, this latest project from MSCHF is not a collaboration. In the Birkinstock manifesto, the team argues “perhaps we might more properly call them a transubstantiation.”
Birkinstocks are now available for purchase upon request only. The process begins with the submission of a purchase inquiry via email. If that inquiry is approved, the process moves forward with the submission of a letter of intent to purchase, followed by a call with the team and an invoice. For more info, including the full manifesto and a closer look at the construction process, click here.
