In the pages of "The Manual: How to Have a Number One the Easy Way" (1988), Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond of The KLF laid out a blueprint for scoring a chart-topping single, even if you lacked funds or musical prowess. In the book their own foray into the UK charts with the novelty pop hit "Doctorin' the Tardis" under the moniker The Timelords served as a case study.
The advice of the Situationist magic duo to the next generation of hitmaker? To score a No. 1 hit they should have followed some golden rules such as strategic studio booking, keeping track duration around three minutes, crafting an irresistible dance groove, and appealing to the masses with hooks that refuse to let go. "Every second of the track has got to grab your attention and never let go. Always go for the hookiest hook, the lowest common denominator, the one you can't believe you're using. Take it and shake it and cry when you hear it," they wrote. Decades later, some might view "The Manual" as a relic of the past, a tear-inducing memory for those old enough to recall it. But is "The Manual" truly passé or are its principles being applied to another field and resonating in unexpected arenas?
Take MSCHF, the Brooklyn-based collective renowned for their boundary-pushing creations spanning fashion, art, and tech.
Their antics have caused a stir, from the contentious "Satan Shoes" collaboration with Lil Nas X (2021), complete with pentagrams and a drop of human blood.
A follow-up of their "Jesus Shoes", released in 2019 and containing holy water from the Jordan River, the satanic version of the sneakers caused Nike to sue MSCHF for "trademark infringement and dilution, false designation of origin, and unfair competition".
Then, in 2022, MSCHF launched the "Cease & Desist Grand Prix" consisting in inviting consumers to buy from their official site a shirt that illegally incorporated logos of major companies.
In 2023 the collective launched the hilariously outlandishly cartoonish, comically bold and dangerously abstract Big Red Boots, footwear that looked like Astro Boy's boots and that broke the Internet (the boots were also copied by ultra-fast fashion retailer Temu).
The boots were reinvented in their yellow hybrid version combining MSCHF's Astro Boy boot and a pair of Crocs' clogs and were dubbed, the Big Yellow Boots (obviously...).
Then came the micro bag: smaller than a grain of sea salt (measuring indeed just 657 by 222 by 700 microns - that is 0.657 mm by 0.222 mm by 0.700 mm) and therefore barely visible to the human eye, the fluorescent green bag was based on a popular Louis Vuitton design (the "OnTheGo" tote).
But there are more hilarious products on their site, including footwear designed to look like a medical boot, a cologne that smells like WD-40 lubricant and one that smells like household cleaner Fabuloso.
Their latest gambit? The "Global Supply Chain Telephone Handbag" (available for purchase from 21st February), their 101st release, is defined on its dedicated site as "a hybrid luxury bag designed entirely by cumulative factory labor".
MSCHF orchestrated a complex process involving four factories across the globe. Initially, a factory in Peru replicated the iconic Birkin bag. Subsequently, this bag was amalgamated with a Celine luggage bag from Portugal, then merged with a Dior saddle bag in India, and finally blended with a Balenciaga hourglass bag in China. The result? A whimsically cartoonish creation, reminiscent of Frankenstein's mythical monster, yet echoing the avant-garde shapes of the costumes in Jean Dubuffet's "Coucou Bazar".
The handbag serves as a commentary on the concealed creative labor within factories, simultaneously celebrating these spaces as problem-solving environments. It's a call to recognize the pivotal role factories play in refining designs into wearable and functional products, an aspect often overlooked except during high-profile fashion shows held inside factory outlets where journalists and influencers are usually shown happy workers and pristine environments.
While some call MSCHF to "the Banksy of the Internet," their true kinship maybe lies with Drummond and Cauty. Their modus operandi mirrors indeed The KLF's anarchic ethos as they seem to adhere to a set of golden rules similar to those listed in "The Manual": the drop, the limited release strategy emphasizing scarcity, the will to take the piss out of a fashion system, with products infused with irony and humor, while adhering to the same luxury pricing dynamics of the industry.
There are other rules actually in MSCHF's practice, that include playfully plagiarizing and reinventing products, stirring controversy, shocking audiences yet appealing to the masses with products that grab the attention (like the hookiest hook described in The Manual), and generating buzz through social media posts often backed by celebrity endorsements (such as Paris Hilton sporting their infamous yellow boots in collaboration with Crocs View this photo).
Therefore, MSCHF's unwritten rules offer an anarchic solution to an industry perceived as stagnant, echoing The KLF's penchant for disruption. Perhaps it's high time for MSCHF to pen their own "How To" manual focused on developing striking products - it would be a best-seller and it would be more enlightening to fashion design students than the exorbitantly priced courses currently on offer in institutions all over the world.
Comments