Maker of Satan Shoes agrees to unlikely ‘voluntary recall’

A Brooklyn company that was sued by Nike over the unauthorized sale of Satan Shoes — an aftermarket sneaker that contains a drop of blood and was promoted by rapper Lil Nas X — agreed Thursday to accept returns of the footwear as part of a settlement.

The company, MSCHF, will offer refunds to people who want to return the sneakers under the terms of the settlement, according to Nike, which said in a statement that the purpose of the “voluntary recall”was to remove the shoes from circulation.

The settlement came a week after a U.S. District Court judge in Brooklyn granted Nike a temporary restraining order against MSCHF (pronounced mischief) after it sued the company last month.

A total of 666 pairs of the Satan Shoes were produced by MSCHF, which incorporated drops of ink and its employees’ blood into an air bubble in Nike Air Max 97 sneakers. Each pair cost $1,018. They sold out in less than a minute last month.

Many of the sneakers were quickly offered for sale on auction sites like ebay for three or four times the original price, making it seemingly less likely that buyers would seek a refund.

One seller was seeking $15,000 for a size 8 pair of Satan Shoes, which feature Nike’s trademark swoosh logo and a bronze, pentagram-shaped charm. “Luke 10:18” — a reference to the biblical passage that says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” — is printed on them.

A previous line of unauthorized Nike sneakers that MSCHF sold, which was named the Jesus Shoe and contained holy water, also can be returned for a refund, Nike said.