The world’s most expensive sandals are here! A U.S.-based art collective ripped four Hermès bags in order to create the ultimate, insanely expensive sandals the world has ever seen.
Called the Birkenstocks, these sandals are priced between $34k and $76k.
The art collective group that created these extravagant sandals, the MSCHF, is from Brooklyn, New York, and is infamous for creating similar art projects. They spent $122.5k on acquiring the four new Birkin bags for the project. The Birkin bag is a highly sought-after luxury handbag, created by British actress and singer Jane Birkin. These four luxury bags were used as the raw material for their art project. The project also included custom made gold vermeil buckles for the shoes whose cost was not included in the original $122.5k which was only spent on acquiring the bags.
Irene Kredenets/Unsplash. The sandals are made from the most sought-after luxury handbags: the Hermes Birkin.
Producing these statement sandals was a challenge, as many leather craftsmen refused to cut and work with Hermès bags to come up with sandals. That alone shows the cult following a Birkin bag has. The record of the most expensive handbag bag ever sold is also held by Hermès Birkins: a diamond-encrusted Birkin first sold for $300k at auction in 2016, and then again in 2017 for an impressive $400k.
MSCHF creative director Lukas Bentel claimed that finding someone who was willing to cut a Birkin bag proved to be quite a challenge. In the fashion world, a Birkin bag is a revered object and is considered a piece of art, so many people were reluctant about damaging the prestigious Hermès name.
Lifetime Leather/Unsplash. The group behind the project, MSCHF, couldn't find craftsmen willing to cut open a Birkin bag.
MSCHF was fascinated by the response it was getting to the idea of cutting open a Hermès and using it to create a sandal. Birkin bags have an average annual return on investment rate of 14% and so, to reap the benefits of your investment in a Birkin bag, it is wise not to damage it. It must be kept safe in a closet, with all protective measures in place to keep it in top shape.
Mahdis Mousavi/Unsplash. MSCHS is popular for out-of-the-box messages through its art installations.
Truth is, MSCHF thrives on making the valuable, invaluable-the company thrives on the destruction of the expensive icons of luxury and makes art-making important statements by using luxury items and accessories as raw material for its art creations. In 2020, the company acquired a Damien Hirst print painting worth $30k, cut it, and sold it piece by piece, to generate profits.
