9 Times MSCHF Made Us Think About Branding

A Brooklyn-based art collective, the company’s works are inspired by - and comment on - consumer behaviour and global culture. Its limited-time projects - described as drops - are often controversial, skimming the legal copyright line. But they’re also executed with a sense of playfulness and masses of creativity.

MSCHF’s concepts often seem absurd and yet they simply reflect some aspect of modern society. It’s this understanding - and unexpected response - that makes MSCHF resonate with consumers. It also makes the collective a fantastic touchpoint for anyone interested in branding, creativity, and the power of recognition.

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‍1. MSCHF x The Ordinary - The Ordinary Eggs

On the face of it, eggs have nothing to do with The Ordinary, a skincare brand that has become famed for making science-backed, clinical skincare products at an affordable price. But in March, The Ordinary teamed up with MSCHF to sell cartons containing a dozen eggs from two of its NYC stores.

Not only were the cartons on-brand with The Ordinary’s simple packaging, they also reflected its inexpensive pricing at $3.37 per dozen - significantly cheaper than anywhere else.

With the price of eggs in the US having been a major talking point this year, the idea of  a beauty brand selling them is straight from MSCHF’s cultural commentary playbook.

The affordable egg cartons hammered home the idea that The Ordinary’s pricing makes its products everyday items (much like eggs). The marketing stunt also highlighted the fact that The Ordinary prides itself on selling high-quality products at an affordable price in a market that often overprices the same ingredients and products.

2. MSCHF - Smells Like…

Many brands are instantly recognisable from the way they look - their branding, their logo, their packaging. But far fewer can be recognised from their scent alone.

WD-40 – staple of home and industry - is one of them. And in January 2023, MSCHF pushed that recognition to a new level with the release of its ‘Smells Like WD-40’ fragrance.

The perfume smelt exactly like the product it was referencing, repackaging it in a tall, slim, blue bottle - complete with red cap - and accompanying box.

MSCHF repeated the idea a year later with the ‘Smells Like Fabuloso’ perfume, which borrows the scent of Fabuloso, a well-known, all-purpose household cleanser.

Neither of these collaborations were officially in partnership with the brands, but they highlight the power that senses outside of sight and taste have when it comes to brand building. Especially, when you consider that scent is closely tied to memory.

WD-40 even capitalised on the online buzz by releasing a play on MSCHF’s advertising for ‘Smells Like WD-40’.

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3. MSCHF x Fenty Beauty - Ketchup or Makeup

For its collaboration with Rihanna-founded Fenty Beauty, MSCHF opted for a playful concept - Ketchup or Makeup.

The $25 set contained six packets - designed to look like disposable ketchup - that contain either Fenty Beauty lip gloss or actual ketchup. Consumers had no idea what was in each packet until they opened it, creating a Russian roulette-style experience.

The concept taps into many of the things that made Fenty Beauty a disruptor when it launched, such as a modern approach to beauty and a sense of fun. But it also highlights the role branding has in product perception and how by changing the cues that customers are familiar with - like ketchup packaging designs - you can create moments of surprise.

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4. MSCHF x Tiffany & Co - The Ultimate Participation Trophy

Luxury giant Tiffany & Co seems an unlikely official partner for MSCHF. But the famed jeweller was actually one of the first big name collaborators for the collective.

The Ultimate Participation Trophy project marked Tiffany’s 185th anniversary and played on the company’s long history of producing trophies for major sporting events.

Tiffany produced 100 trophies which MSCHF sold for $1000 each. Each trophy was topped with a sterling silver representation of multiple sports.

Instead of the trophies being awarded based on skill, the first three customers to place an order received a first, second, or third place trophy. The next 97 buyers received a participation trophy.

The collaboration painted Tiffany in a different light, showing the brand to be more playful than consumers may have expected. At the same time, Tiffany’s involvement elevated the project and gave the trophies an increased sense of value.

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5. MSCHF x Jimmy Fallon - Gobstomper

MSCHF’s collaboration with late night American TV host Jimmy Fallon to create a new pair of sneakers is unusual because it’s one of only a handful of celebrity partnerships for the collective. But it also feels genuine, rather than a cash-in, because Fallon is a real-life sneaker lover.

The partnership is also a commentary on traditional celebrity sneaker tie-ins, where the product is essentially unchanged but emblazoned with a different name.

In MSCHF and Fallon’s case, their collaboration added something genuinely different to the oversaturated sneaker sector. The Gobstomper - inspired by Willy Wonka’s Gobstopper candy - is a shoe that reveals different layers of colour as it undergoes wear and tear.

Essentially, to get the most out of the shoe, customers have to wear it over a long period of time. This goes against the sneaker collector culture where special and limited edition designs are kept boxed and unworn to increase their value.

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6. MSCHF x Crocs - Big Yellow Boots

One of MSCHF’s best known releases ever is its Big Red Boots, which evoked cartoon footwear.

In 2023, MSCHF reinvented the Big Boot concept in collaboration with Crocs, known for its comfortable slip-on shoes.

The Big Yellow Boots retain the same oversized style of the Big Red Boots but incorporate hallmarks of Crocs’ shoe design with ventilation holes and a strap on the back.

The love-hate nature of the Big Boots design perfectly reflects the discourse around Crocs shoes. Branded as ‘ugly’ when they first entered the market, Crocs have also seen massive success with many consumers because of their comfort and wearability.

It makes this collaboration a perfect conversation moment for the brand.

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7. MSCHF x AMG

For this year’s NYCxDesign festival, MSCHF teamed up with Mercedes-AMG to reimagine and repurpose car parts as furniture.

The experimental designs used genuine AMG car parts from official suppliers and modified them into pieces that could be used around the home. This included a fan made from a wheel rim, a chair made from three car headrests, and a rubbish bin that uses a car pedal.

The limitation of the raw materials - car parts - required creative thinking to make them into furniture, with a nod to Achille Castiglioni’s pioneering work in industrial design.

At the same time, the designs aren’t just impractical concepts. Customers could purchase pieces on a made-to-order basis, which means they have to be fit for purpose.

The three-day exhibition was held in MSCHF’s Brooklyn studio, which marks the first time that the public have been allowed into the space.

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8. MSCHF x Hot Wheels - Not Wheels

Hot Wheels is one of the best known - and most valuable - toy brands in the world. This makes it an unlikely collaborator for MSCHF, whose target audience is young adults.

But this didn’t stop Mattel - owner of the Hot Wheels brand - teaming up with MSCHF last year on a ‘Not Wheels’ toy car. Designed to evoke the well-used vehicles that many people have as a first car,  the model comes complete with dents, rust, and mismatched parts.

Released as part of Mattel Creations, dedicated to exclusive, limited-edition, collectors toys, Not Wheels is a brilliant example of how a brand like Hot Wheels can leverage its recognition to reach new audiences. The collaboration plays on nostalgia - of first cars and Hot Wheels cars - to great effect.

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9. MSCHF C&D Grand Prix

One of MSCHF’s boldest concepts was its C&D (Cease and Desist) Grand Prix.

The collective created a series of eight t-shirt designs, which each prominently featured the logo of one of the world’s biggest companies - Amazon, Subway, Disney, Tesla, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Walmart.

The different shirts were on sale until MSCHF received a cease and desist order from one of the companies. Customers who had bought the shirt of the company that sent the first cease and desist order were declared the winners of the grand prix and received a hat.

In true racing driver style, the arms of each t-shirt also featured the logos of different brands. In real life these would be the official sponsors, but in this case MSCHF used recognisable branding and its own name.

The concept was a direct response to complaints that MSCHF has received about copyright infringement when creating its projects. But it also asks us to consider the complex relationship between branding and creativity.

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By Jack Stratten, Director and Head of Trends, INSIDER TRENDS, London

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