The cartoonification of fashion

Which cartoon character would you say is the best dressed? Cruella De Vil from Disney’s 101 Dalmations? What about Ashley Spinelli from Disney’s Recess with her signature orange beanie, red dress, jacket and riding boots? Johnny Bravo? Minnie Mouse?

Why am I talking about cartoon characters and their sense of style? Well, unless you’ve had blinders on for the last few weeks, you would have perhaps come across, or—at the very least—heard about the now pretty famous big red boots which have appeared everywhere on the internet and on the feet of several celebrities including rappers Coi Leray, Lil Wayne, Rich the Kid and singer Ciara. Fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye wore his pair styled like Astroboy from the classic Japanese manga series.

The big red boots look quite cartoonish, and are apparently made of the same material as Crocs. They were introduced by MSCHF, the American art collective that is also responsible for rapper Lil Nas X’s controversial so-called Satan shoes, customised with blood in its sole. If this all sounds like a massive troll, that’s probably because it is. The same collective debuted its AC.1 sneaker, which looks no different to a moon boot, late last year. Quoted in Highsnobiety when the AC.1 dropped, MSCHF co- founder Daniel Green said: “The first time I ever saw someone wearing a walking boot I thought it looked incredible.”

He added: “Industries with little to no regard for aesthetics designing objects for utilitarian purposes churn out bangers like no one else. We've collectively aestheticized glasses but the trend of functional medical accessories making the leap to fashion seems to have lagged. No longer. Let's push the envelope on what footwear is; footwear should be anything that you wear on your feet."

If this sounds ridiculous, well, maybe you’re just a party pooper. Everyone seems to be having fun with what MSCHF is doing but what’s perhaps gone unnoticed by most is that we’re well within the era of what can be described as nothing short of a cartoonification trend in fashion, and in film.

In 2021, Disney gave us the Emma Stone and Emma Thompson-starring live action version of ‘Cruella’, and this year, director Greta Gerwig will be giving us the much anticipated, Margo Robbie-led ‘Barbie’. One can argue that the popularity of comic book adaptations like Marvel’s Cinematic Universe—which has been giving us some of the highest grossing films of all time for over ten years—is also a case in point.

Cartoons have always played a role in fashion appearing as prints in shirts and more. Many would even argue that Minnie Mouse is a fashion icon because of her polka dot dress. I certainly can’t dispute that. She’s the first thing that comes to mind whenever I see polka dots. Lately, however, trends seem to indicate that fashion is leaning into cartoonish aesthetics rather than simply referencing them.

Late last year Dazed Magazine ran the headline “Why have designers robbed Barbie and blown up her heels?” having noticed bolbous shoes at runway shows from JW Anderson. It didn’t end there. At least not for Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, whose eponymous brand is currently retailing Croc-like “frog loafers” with eyes on the upper.

Cartoons evoke nostalgia, and in a world where there is much to fret about, our yearning for a time when things were much easier and simple is not misplaced. Childhood epitomises this nostalgia and there is not better way of reliving it than by tapping into something that gave us all joy growing up.

Market uptake remains to be seen, but, retailing at US$350 (about R 6, 500) MSCHF’s Big Red Boots have already sold out. That considered, it is quite plausible that they will continue to shell out similar offerings and fashion, as well as lifestyle brands, would want to tap into the momentum MSCHF has injected into the trend.