Pop singer Lil Nas X has been the subject of controversy following the release of his latest music video, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”, due to his use of Satanic imagery. His collaboration with fashion/art collective MSCHF has only fueled the fire: together, they sold exactly 666 pairs of customized Nike Air Max 97s, each with a single drop of human blood in the sole.
Nike has since filed a lawsuit and successfully blocked the sale of the shoes, citing that MSCHF and Lil Nas X were unauthorized to alter and sell the “Satan shoes” with the famous Nike swoosh. However, MSCHF has pointed out that their previous custom drop, “Jesus shoes” (which featured holy water in the soles), carried through without any legal grief from Nike.
On one hand, I understand the impulse for Nike to “protect” their brand image. However, I do agree with MSCHF that customizing shoes and using fashion as a form of creative expression should be protected, and that using copyright law to block the drop seems like a bit of a cop-out excuse, so I’m conflicted. Additionally, the fact that Nike let the “Jesus shoes” slide but not the “Satan shoes” is interesting, considering both figures are technically completely within the Christian canon.