After suing apparel brand MSCHF over a shoe collaboration they did with rapper Lil Nas X, Nike has settled the lawsuit after MSCHF agreed to recall all 666 pairs of the ‘Satan Shoes’.
The Satan Shoes are a pair of Nike Air Max 97s redesigned by MSCHF to include a reference to a Bible passage, pentagram detailing and, most controversially, a drop of human blood mixed into the shoes’ air pocket.
They were a collaboration with rapper, singer and internet personality Lil Nas X for his single MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name), which is currently number one in the Billboard charts.
Nike sued MSCHF over the shoes, claiming they were copyright infringement. The lawsuit said: “There is already evidence of significant confusion and dilution occurring in the marketplace, including calls to boycott Nike in response to the launch of MSCHF’s Satan Shoes based on the mistaken belief that Nike has authorized or approved this product.”
Lil Nas X was not named in the lawsuit.
According to Nike, MSCHF has agreed to offer full refunds for the Satan Shoes, and for its Jesus Shoes, which were released last year. The Jesus Shoes were also modified Nike Air Max 97s, with a drop of holy water mixed into the air bubble.
Other terms of the settlement deal have not been disclosed.
The Satan Shoes sold out in less than a minute, with Lil Nas X retaining one pair to give away to a fan. MSCHF has now said that they will keep the final pair of shoes.
MSCHF’s attorneys said in a statement that in creating the Satan Shoes, “MSCHF intended to comment on the absurdity of the collaboration culture practised by some brands, and about the perniciousness of intolerance.”
“Having already achieved its artistic purpose, MSCHF recognized that settlement was the best way to allow it to put this lawsuit behind it so that it could dedicate its time to new artistic and expressive projects.”
