Viral social media posts in the past few days have claimed that Nike is producing a limited edition run of “Satan shoes,” which incorporate demonic imagery and real human blood into the design. 

The more bizarre elements of these claims are actually correct: The shoes are real and they do indeed contain drops of human blood in the soles, with members of the design team behind the shoes serving as the donors. But while the shoes bear the Nike logo, Nike had nothing to do with their design or creation.

Art collective MSCHF created the shoes as a part of a collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X. MSCHF obtained and altered 666 pairs of Nike Air Max 97s for the project, which MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg noted did not involve Nike “in any capacity.”

Nike has issued similar public denials and is now suing MSCHF for trademark infringement, saying that “In the short time since the announcement of the Satan Shoes, Nike has suffered significant harm to its goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism.”

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