Nike's Satan Shoes to Ari Menthol: 5 most controversial sneakers of all times

Controversy brewing in the sneaker industry is nothing new, as over the years the sector has received tons of cases of cease and desist letters, bank-breaking fines, copyright infringements, and others making the industry rather interesting and controversial. But, peak controversy hits when the sneakers created are banned for a lifetime. The reasons leading to the ban create drama, uplift the brand’s rating, or at times might affect the image of the brand. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most controversial sneakers created of all time.

Nike sued the Brooklyn-based MSCHF and artist Lil Nas X in 2021 for the creation of the ‘Satan Shoes’ or ‘Devil Shoes.’ These interesting black and red pairs of sneakers were mainly a modified version of the Nike Air Max 97 and had a devilish colour scheme with air bubbles around the heel which contained red liquid claimed to be human blood. Nike forced the brand to repurchase all the 666 sneakers sold as the sneaker giant had no participation or collaboration with MSCHF.

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One of the most controversial sneakers of all time the Ari Menthol 10 were created by the shoe designer Ari Saal Forman in 2006 and stood as a symbol of rebellions against the two giant firms i.e. Nike and Big Tobacco. The brand termed this creation as a form of social experimentation with the shoe featuring logos of the Newport Tobacco company and of Nike. Taking in the similarities and trademark issues, the sneaker looked like the Nike Air Force 1. Both brands soon got involved and after an intense court battle, the Ari Menthol 10 was banned.

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As the NBA superstar Michael Jordan made his name in the basketball world around 1985, the star was always seen wearing the new Air Jordans. However, he did run into a problem because of the colourway of the sneakers which violated the uniform policy of the NBA resulting in a proper fine every time he wore them. The penalties grew around $5,000 each time but the player did not replace them. This created a ’ bad boy’ image as the brand had to pay the penalty every time which sparked controversy around that time.

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These ‘shackled’ sneakers entered the controversial chat because of the weird chains. However, creator Jeremy Scott was inspired by a toy and created these pairs which lost its message when released in the market. The brand and Jeremy Scott were accused of glamorising and promoting slavery after which the shoes were instantly taken off the shelves and were seen in some of the retail outlets only, but gradually disappeared from the market.

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The Adidas YEEZY Foam Runner’s design was extremely polarising. The shoes seemed to be glued to the human skin when worn making them look interesting and controversial. However, the pair does not have any dark backstory, but because of its new and mysterious look, it instantly became a hit in the market making it to the list of the most controversial sneakers of all time, but with a celebrated end.

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