Nike is putting its foot down in hopes of stomping out the “Satan Shoes” promoted by rapper Lil Nas X.
The company filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court against MSCHF, a Brooklyn-based company that modified Nike Air Max 97s with pentagrams and an inverted cross. The sole air bubble reportedly contains ink with a drop of human blood.
The shoes were timed for the release of Lil Nas X’s song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” which came with a video showing the rapper giving Satan a lap dance.
All 666 pairs of the customized sneakers, priced at $1,018 U.S. (a reference to Luke 10:18, the Bible verse about Satan’s fall from heaven) sold out within minutes of going on sale.
“We do not have a relationship with Lil Nas X or MSCHF,” read a statement from Nike. “The Satan Shoes were produced without Nike’s approval or authorization, and Nike is in no way connected with this project.”
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The company followed-up with a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement and dilution.
“Decisions about what products to put the ‘swoosh’ on belong to Nike, not to third parties like MSCHF,” reads the lawsuit. “Nike requests that the court immediately and permanently stop MSCHF from fulfilling all orders for its unauthorized Satan Shoes.”
Lil Nas X, who is not named as a defendant, tweeted a clip of SpongeBob Square Pants character Squidward begging for money and captioned it: “me after the Nike lawsuit.”
The "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" video and Satan Shoes have been slammed by some religious people. (Other people have pointed out there was not a similar outcry when Billie Eilish released a fiery video in 2019 for “All the Good Girls Go to Hell” and have suggested Lil Nas X is being targeted because he is gay.)
“we are in a pandemic & there is a mass shooting every week,” Lil Nas X tweeted, “but y’all are gathering in church to discuss shoes lmaooo.”