US shoe-maker Nike has sued Brooklyn-based company MSCHF for releasing a pair of ‘Satan shoes’ based on its sneakers. MSCHF released 666 ‘Satan shoes’ on 29 March in collaboration with renowned rapper Lil Nas X. 666 signifies the devil or antichrist.
The shoes, which triggered huge social media backlash, feature an inverted cross, a pentagram and have ‘Luke 10:18’ (the Bible verse which talks about Satan’s fall from heaven) written on them. The shoes feature an inverted Nike swoosh as well. They were priced at $1,018 a pair and were reportedly sold out within a minute of their launch. Each shoe also features a Nike air bubble cushioning sole containing 60 cubic centimetres of red ink mixed with a drop of real human blood, donated by employees of MSCHF. The material alterations include referring to the shoe as “the Satan Shoe,” adding red ink along the drop of human blood to the midsole, adding red embroidered satanic themed detailing, adding a bronze pentagram to the laces, and adding a new sock liner, the complaint alleges.
The launch also coincided with Lil Nas’ latest song Montero (Call Me By Your Name). In the video, released on 26 March, Nas is seduced out of heaven and condemned to hell. He gives the devil a lap dance in the video before snapping his neck and claiming the crown.
