A Brooklyn-based company that collaborated with Nike sold out of its $1,425 “Jesus Shoes” filled with holy water in just one minute after they launched this week.
The white Air Max 97 sneakers, by creative label MSCHF, have teal accents and are injected with holy water from the Jordan River and have a steel crucifix attached.
The shoes also have red soles in honor of the shoe color worn by the pope and are scented with the resin frankincense, which was given to newborn baby Jesus in the New Testament, Yahoo Lifestyle reports.
The footwear’s hefty price tag is also symbolic — $1,425 represents Matthew 14:25, a Bible passage that describes Jesus walking on water.
Daniel Greenberg, the company’s head of commerce, told Yahoo Lifestyle that inspiration for the design came after employees discussed brand partnerships, including one between Adidas and Arizona.{mosads}
“I said, ‘What would a collab look like with Jesus Christ?’” said Greenberg, 22. “You could say Jesus is the most influential person of all time.”
While the company decided on the holy water and crucifix concepts, other pitches included a holy nail and fake blood, as well as a modern take on the “Jesus sandal” trend, Yahoo Lifestyle reports. In the end, the idea to be able to “walk on water” was selected.
MSCHF gets the holy water from Greenberg’s friend, who lives in Israel and agreed to ship a gallon of water from the Jordan River to New York. The Bible says the Jordan River is the site of Jesus Christ’s baptism. Employees called a priest to the office to bless the water before it was mixed with blue dye, Greenberg said.
The shoes went on sale at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and sold out by 11:01 a.m.
MSCHF plans to unveil new products on every second and fourth Tuesday. When asked about details, Greenberg told the outlet, “an app, a weird exponential thing about streaming wars and weed paraphernalia.”