Nike Satan Shoes – Nike using technology to make shoes that uses human blood
As soon as Nike’s Air Max 97 were spotted in Lil Nas X’s Satan shoes, rumors and controversies stirred up, that Nike has used a technology to make shoes that uses human blood.
If you are curious to know the real story, read on.
Background details:
Lil Nas X, a 19 years old rapper best known for his massive hit ‘Old Town Road’, is making headlines again. The young rapper collaborated with art collective MSCH, based in New York, to release trendy and contemporary shoes called Satan shoes. Satan shoes are a modified version of Nike’s Air Max 97s. These shoes were released soon after another massive hit, Montero (Call me by your name), that has garnered up to 37 million views on Youtube within a week.
Nike Satan shoes and human blood controversy
The Satan shoes have a red and black colour combination and follow a devil theme. The shoe has been designed with pentagon charms on each pair and featuring a verse from Bible Luke 10:18 containing a devil reference that reads, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”
Moreover, there were only 666 pairs of shoes made since, according to the Bible, these are the total number of devils. These pairs were quickly sold out, with only 666th pair saved for a giveaway on 1st April.
The controversy gained momentum when The New York’s times reported that the shoes also contained 2.03 ounces of blood inside the soles. The members of MSCH donated the blood.
One of the founders of MSCH, Daniel Greenberg, clarified that the drop of blood was mixed with ink and was filled in the air bubble of Nike’s Air Max 97. He also said it didn’t involve any medical professionals.
Legal Action by Nike:
Soon after the controversy surfaced, Nike disapproved of the shoes’ design and release, stating that the shoes were released without Nike’s permission and approval. It further recapitulated that It has no involvement in the making of the shoes with human blood. It also iterated that it has no connections with Lil Nas X or MSCH.
Furthermore, Nike took legal action and filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against MSCH with New York’s federal court to stop selling more shoes.
Nike feared the dilution of its trademark, hence chose to file a case.
Following this, MSCH declared, it won’t harm or damage Nike because the manufacture of the shoes has already stopped. It also mentioned that the Satan shoe buyers are already aware MSCH collaborated with Lil Nas X, and Nike has no involvement in the manufacture of shoes. MSCH also claimed that the shoes were a work of art.
MSCH further complained that Nike did not protest or file a case when MSCH introduced Jesus shoes in 2019, containing holy water.
Despite the lawsuit, MSCH hoped to reconcile Nike’s differences and work with them and the court to settle the conflict.
Final Verdict:
On 1st April, Thursday, the U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee granted Nike’s appeal and placed a temporary restriction on Satan shoes’ sale. Following the court’s order, LIL Nas X announced that the giveaway of the 666th pair is cancelled due to legal rulings on his Twitter. In the interim, the court has ruled in favour of Nike. Currently, the sale of the Satan shoes is halted.
The final verdict cleared the air and we all know Nike has no involvement in the making Satan shoes. However, the halt in sales of Satan shoes didn’t just cause controversies but also caused losses to Lil Nas X and MSCH.