The fashion world has a new viral obsession: upturned boots. Comme des Garçons and Kids Love Gaité’s latest collaboration has taken social media by storm, mesmerizing and mystifying users. With a design that seemingly defies gravity, these boots have ignited discussions on everything from avant-garde fashion to the role of shock value in contemporary design.
Debuting as part of Comme des Garçons’ Spring/Summer 2024 collection, the upturned boots push the boundaries of footwear aesthetics. Featuring a toe box that curves dramatically upwards, these boots appear almost cartoonish, evoking comparisons to medieval sabatons, Mexican guarachero boots, and even the exaggerated shoes of circus clowns. This isn’t the first time Kids Love Gaité has experimented with unconventional silhouettes, but this collaboration is extreme even by their bold standards.
The collection also includes double-footed derby shoes featuring side-by-side toe boxes and stacked double-foot designs that further challenge traditional notions of symmetry and functionality. These pieces aren’t just footwear—they are performance art.
Fashion enthusiasts and casual observers have flooded social media with reactions, memes, and hot takes. Some hail the boots as groundbreaking, while others dismiss them as another instance of high fashion trolling the masses.
“These are the boots to keep your haters guessing—literally. They won’t know if you’re coming or going.” – @FashionFiend
“Rei Kawakubo just woke up one day and decided gravity was optional.” – @SneakerSatire
“Somewhere, an elf cobbler is crying.” – @HighHeelHater
Despite the jokes, many fashion critics recognize the boots as a natural evolution of Comme des Garçons’ avant-garde approach. Designer Rei Kawakubo has long been known for her deconstructionist philosophy, which strips garments of their conventional purpose and reconstructs them into thought-provoking pieces.
These boots are not just a whimsical stunt; they reflect profound artistic and cultural influences. Kawakubo’s work often draws inspiration from history, and the upturned boots share DNA with traditional footwear from various cultures. Guarachero boots from Mexico, with their extended toe tips, are one clear parallel. Additionally, exaggerated shoe shapes have historical roots in 15th-century European nobility, where elongated footwear symbolized status.
The boots also embody the principles of deconstructionism, a signature of Comme des Garçons’ aesthetic. By reversing expected forms and playing with proportion, Kawakubo challenges the fundamental relationship between form and function in fashion.
This isn’t the first time an outrageous shoe has captivated the internet. MSCHF’s Big Red Boots—a pair of oversized, cartoon-like rubber boots—went viral in early 2023, as did Balenciaga’s exaggerated Crocs and Rick Owens’ towering platform boots. These items all share a key trait: they blur the line between fashion and performance art.
Social media plays an undeniable role in the spread of such designs. A single image of an eccentric shoe can spark global conversation within hours. Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter have become battlegrounds where avant-garde fashion is dissected, meme-ified, and, ultimately, marketed to the masses.
The upturned boots raise an essential question: Is fashion moving toward an era where spectacle outweighs practicality? In an age of fast-paced digital trends, designers may create pieces with viral potential rather than everyday wearability.
However, Comme des Garçons has never catered to the mainstream. Kawakubo’s philosophy has always prioritized artistic expression over commercial viability. The upturned boots are simply the latest iteration of this ethos—a reminder that fashion is not just about dressing the body but also about challenging perceptions and sparking dialogue.
Whether these boots will ever be worn on the streets or remain confined to editorial spreads and museum exhibitions is yet to be seen. One thing is sure: they have already cemented their place in fashion history as one of the most talked-about designs of the year.
What’s next in the world of viral fashion? If these boots are any indication, the only rule is that there are no rules.