Nike Reaches Settlement in 'Satan Shoes' Suit

Voluntary recall issued for 'unauthorized' shoes
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 9, 2021 7:35 AM CDT

A voluntary recall has been issued for the "Satan Shoes" rapper Lil Nas X and streetwear company MSCHF released last month—though since the limited-edition shoes are being sold for up to $15,000 on eBay, few buyers are likely to seek the $1,018 refund. Nike sued MSCHF over the modified Nike Air Max 97s, which each contain a drop of human blood, and the recall is part of a settlement, the New York Times reports. Nike says the equally unauthorized "Jesus Shoes" from 2019, which contained holy water, can also be returned as part of the voluntary buyback. Nike said in a statement that it had nothing to do with either shoe and "in both cases, MSCHF altered these shoes without Nike’s authorization."

The Satan Shoes, decorated with a pentagram, sold out in less than a minute and MSCHF said 665 out of 666 pairs had already been sent to customers when a restraining order was issued. David H. Bernstein, an attorney for MSCHF, declined to disclose the exact terms of the settlement, but said the art collective agreed to settle the suit after deciding it had "already achieved its artistic purpose." Bernstein tells NBC that shoes were "individually numbered works of art that will continue to represent the ideals of equality and inclusion" and MSCHF intended them to be a "comment on the absurdity of the collaboration culture practiced by some brands, and about the perniciousness of intolerance." (More Nike stories.)

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