'Satan Shoes' are the sneakers that the famous rapper Lil Nas X is launching. They have a bronze pentagram, with an inverted cross and real human blood.
The athletes were the result of a collaboration between Lil Nas X and the New York-based art collective, MSCHF, who chose the Nike-branded Air Max 97. The latter has distanced itself from this project.
In an email statement to CNN, Nike said it was not involved in creating the modified sneakers.
"We have no affiliation with Lil Nas or MSCHF. Nike did not design or publish the athletes and we do not support them."
The athletes sparked an online outcry over the weekend and received criticism from a number of senior political and religious figures, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and evangelical pastor Mark Burns. The latter described the athletes in a post as "evil" and "heresy". Some fans of the rapper "Old Town Road", meanwhile, posted on Twitter their support and desire to have such a pair.
An MSCHF spokesman told CNN that the blood was provided by members of the art collective, adding: "We want to sacrifice for our art."
The models will be limited-edition in only 666 pairs (devil number). Each sneaker contains 60 cubic centimeters of red paint and one drop of human blood, according to MSCHF. Their price is $ 1,018.
