Who would not want human blood enclosed within their shoes? While this is a rhetorical question, the answer may surprise you. After all, rapper Lil Nas X's 'Satan Shoes' have sold out within minutes. The somewhat demonic website proclaims that only one pair now remains, and that one must tweet to enter a lottery for the same.
As per the details given on the website, the Nike Air Max 97 shoes contains "60CC ink and one drop human blood", and is adorned with a bronze pentagram. According to reports, the slightly disturbing shoes were produced in collaboration with Brooklyn-based MSCHF, a company that is often behind viral stunts, stories and products. In case you were wondering, the blood, which can be seen around the heel of the shoe, reportedly comes from employees of the company.
But as is the wont for controversial products, not everyone was a fan of footwear that paid homage to the Devil. And as calls to boycott Nike grew, the company took strong steps to distance itself from the controversy. According to a Reuters report, Nike has filed a lawsuit against the company for producing the shoes without their "approval or authorisation". Lil Nas X is not named as a defendant.
While this may not be a shoemaker's dream ingredient, there are unsurprisingly hundreds of people willing to sell their souls, or well in this case part with a hefty sum of money, to get shoes. According to a CNN report, the 666 shoes cost $1,018 a pair ( a Biblical reference) and were sold out in less than a minute.
But as people drew greater meaning from the timing of the launch and many lambasted the shoes and the concept, the rapper is taking it all in his stride. In a series of tweets over the last day or so, he has joked and shared memes, repeatedly poking fun at those outraging against him and the shoes.
"We are in a pandemic and there is a mass shooting every week, but y’all are gathering in church to discuss shoes. lmaooo," he tweeted.
But while it might be best to shrug criticism off, Lil Nas X noted in one tweet that the experience has not been pleasant. "I’ll be honest, all this backlash is putting an emotional toll on me. I try to cover it with humor but it’s getting hard. My anxiety is higher than ever... and stream call me by your name on all platforms now!" he tweeted.
