What in the name of sweet Jesus shoes is MSCHF?

MSCHF, which releases “drops” ranging from viral pranks to tongue-in-cheek luxury items, has raised $11.5m despite its lack of interest in turning a big profit.

Photo: MSCHF

What in the name of sweet Jesus shoes is MSCHF?

MSCHF, a group of 10 offbeat creatives based in a small office in Brooklyn, is responsible for creating:

Some of the group’s self-proclaimed “drops” are simply socially shareable stunts. But others feature physical products (like Jesus shoes) that actually make money. 

So… who the hell are these people?

Don’t call them a startup

Why? Well, for starters, they don’t really want to make money.

Gabriel Whaley, the 30-year-old founder of the group, explained to The New York Times that making money is “not why we’re here.”

And they don’t really want to take on clients either: The group once ran an advertising agency that worked for clients like Casper, but shut it down to focus on social commentary, which Whaley says is “the point.”

But advertisers want to invest in ‘structured chaos’ anyway

Despite MSCHF’s lack of interest in making money, the group still managed to raise $11.5m from outside investors. Why?

“I don’t see anybody doing exactly what MSCHF is doing,” technology consultant Frank Denbow explained to the Times. “Everybody is able to get a one-off campaign that works, but to consistently find ways to create content that really sticks with people is different.”

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