Court approves Nike’s temporary restraining order against Lil Nas X-inspired ‘Satan Shoes’
Hell no! Nike won the battle but maybe not the war against the devil.
A U.S. District Court has approved the sneaker giant’s request for a temporary restraining order against MSCHF for selling Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes.”
The order mandates that the Brooklyn-based creative agency should not fulfill any orders.
But the horse may already be out the gate.
On Monday, 666 pairs of the devilish kicks reportedly sold out within a minute, at the hefty price tag of $1,018.
Inspired and endorsed by the record-breaking, Grammy Award winning hip-hop star – on the heels of the release of his controversial “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name”) music video – the footwear featured black-and-red Nike Air Max 97s remixed to include a pentagram charm, text reading “LUKE 10:18” and even what many believed to be a drop of real human blood.
The buzz surrounding the exclusive drops elicited a firestorm of ire on social media among religion followers, political conservatives and bigots.
Before filing suit, Nike distanced itself from the “Satan Shoes.”
“We do not have a relationship with Lil Nas or MSCHF,” the company said in an initial statement. “Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them.”
The Columbia Records hit-maker, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was not named as a defendant in the legal documents.
“Decisions about what products to put the ‘swoosh’ on belong to Nike, not to third parties like MSCHF,” the company said in its lawsuit, referring to its iconic “swoosh” logo. “Nike requests that the court immediately and permanently stop MSCHF from fulfilling all orders for its unauthorized Satan Shoes.”
MSCHF, founded by former Buzzfeed staffer Gabriel Whaley, previously released “Jesus Shoes,” which were customized Air Max 97s whose soles contained what many believed to be holy water from the Jordan River.
Selling online for $1,425, the kicks instantly sold out, appeared on resale site for upwards to $4,000 and became one of the most Googled shoes of 2019.
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, MSCHF has raised at least $11.5 million in outside investments since the fall of 2019, The New York Times reported.
