Workwear boots – specifically those of a wheat colour produced by a certain world-renowned American outdoor footwear manufacturer (hint) – are in their element once more.
There are plenty of factors at play: the style's presence in recent fashion shows (prime examples: LV AW24, Wales Bonner AW24), the release of hypey collaborations that pivot around the style, nineties nostalgia, noughties nostalgia, the recent big anniversary of the aforementioned wheat-coloured tread, just to name a few.
Now, NYC-based collective MSCHF is cementing the workwear boot's place in the current mode with one of their very own.
Introducing the MSCHF 2x4.
As with all MSCHF drops, the 2x4 emerges from the fashion label's art collective's dual urge to participate in a trend whilst warmly taking the p*** out of it.
You'll definitely remember the Big Red Boots – they stomped into existence at a time (early '23, to be precise) when Jonathan Anderson had Minnie Mouse shoes walking the Loewe runway and Marni was preparing to launch its very padded, fun to wear Bigfoot 2.0 sneaker.
And you might remember the noughties-sk8r-boi-vibes Gobstomper, which dropped just as the noughties-sk8r-boi-vibes Lanvin Curb sneaker was piquing interest in the summer of '22, and months before Adidas unveiled its Campus 00s, Vans re-introduced the Knu Skool (a pillowy take on the Old Skool) and Represent dropped the Bully.
Now they've come for the workwear boot, turning the construction site mainstay turned streetwear staple into an avant-garde statement piece by, essentially, copying and pasting the sole onto the upper. Why? Well, like a lot of good art, the aim is to exaggerate a symbol of the zeitgeist to prompt a conversation.
And to make money, of course.
And – kind of accidentally, kind of intentionally – present the social media influencers with a brand-new styling challenge. We can almost hear the 'Come style the viral 2x4 boot with me' TikTok intros already.
To ensure the shoe has the same opportunity to split opinion as its predecessors, the brand called on a neighbour – the one, the only Spike Lee. The Atlanta-born New Yorker stars in the 2x4 campaign for the Brooklyn collective which was shot by his daughter, Satchel, and orchestrated by his son, Jackson who is a fan of the brand.
“We feel MSCHF's new boots embody their ethos of fearlessly setting new trends and standing firm in their beliefs,” Jackson tells Esquire. “MSCHF's authenticity and unapologetic method of always sparking dialogue with their launches really resonated with us. MSCHF continues to prove that innovation knows no bounds.”
He's right. Regardless of your feelings towards MSCHF's tangible offerings, it's hard to knock their dedication to lateral thinking.
And since MSCHF consider themselves an art collective, it matters little if you like them, love them, wear them, or can't bear them, as long as you're talking about the 2x4 – and, by extension, the workwear boot's return to prominence – in the coming weeks, they've done their job right.
Especially if they convince you to cop a pair of Timberlands. (Yes, we said it.)
Timberland Timberland® Premium 6 Inch Waterproof Boot for Men in Yellow
Timberland Timberland® Premium 6 Inch Waterproof Boot for Men in Yellow
The MSCHF 2x4 drops on Tuesday 19 March at 7pm exclusively on MSCHF.com and the MSCHF app. The boot is expected to be available on resale marketplaces like StockX shortly after.
