The scandal got the better of the Satan Shoes. As part of an amicable settlement with the equipment manufacturer Nike, the New York company which had created “Satanic sneakers”, MSCHF, agreed to call them back and offer a refund to their buyers.
The model, created in partnership with American rapper Lil Nas X, is initially an Air Max 97 sneaker made by Nike, to which have been added some distinctive signs reminiscent of the devil, including a pentagram (inverted five-pointed star), sometimes considered as a satanic symbol. A drop of human blood was also injected into the sole, according to the company.
Nike had attacked MSCHF, accusing it of counterfeiting and brand dilution, and claiming that calls for a boycott of the supplier had been made.
“We agreed to settle the dispute amicably”, said the company MSCHF in a message sent Friday to its customers, seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP). “As part of this settlement, Nike has asked us, and we have agreed, to initiate a recall of Satan Shoes and Jesus Shoes to remove them from circulation. “Both parties are happy to be able to resolve their dispute”, reacted the Nike equipment supplier to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Works of art” intended for collectors
The Brooklyn-based company, which presents itself as an artistic collective, adds that it is ready to fully reimburse the purchasers of all copies of these two limited series, if they request it before April 21, while indicating that they are ” in law “ not to return the said shoes.
The online sale on March 29 of these satanic sneakers – for $ 1,018 a pair – had caused controversy. They were the fruit of a partnership with the American rapper Lil Nas X made famous by his hit “Old Town Road”, whose remix flew through the spring and summer of 2019. Some, such as the Republican governor of South Dakota, had judged these black sneakers decadent.
MSCHF, which specializes in limited editions, retorted that its shoes were ” works of art “ intended for collectors, protected as such by the first amendment of the American Constitution, in the tradition of another limited series, Jesus Shoes, introduced in October 2019 and whose soles contained holy water, to which Nike does not had not then objected.
