Federal Judge Orders ‘Satan Shoes’ to Be Taken Off the Market

A federal judge has ordered Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan Shoes’ to be taken off the market, despite the limited run of 666 pairs selling out in under a minute. The decision was made after Nike, whose Air Max ’97s were used as the base for Lil Nas X’s shoes, filed a lawsuit against designers MSCHF Product Studio.

With the release of the rapper’s video for “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X was met with heavy criticism from conservative Christian Twitter. “Call Me By Your Name” depicts the musician descending into Hell on a giant stripper pole and performing a lap dance for the Devil before breaking the Dark Lord’s neck and stealing his horns.

The Satan Shoes were created as a companion piece for the video, with each pair allegedly containing one drop of human blood mixed within the ink base of each pair.

“i spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the shit y’all preached would happen to me because i was gay,” Lil Nas X explained on Twitter. “so i hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves.”

In a letter to the federal judge, MSCHF argued that the Satan Shoes are “not typical sneakers, but rather individually-numbered works of art that were sold to collectors for $1,018 each.” However, Nike lawyers relayed the reported damage that the Satan Shoes (which Nike had no part in designing) brought to their reputation. “We have submitted numerous evidence that some consumers are saying they will never buy Nike shoes ever again.”

MSCHF claim that all but one of the shoes have already been shipped out.

At the hearing’s conclusion, Judge Eric Komitee ruled that Nike has made a showing for a temporary restraining order. A deep injunctive hearing will take place in the near future. [via Hollywood Reporter]