Saturday Night Live lampooned the Nike connection a few weeks after the event with the mock commercial below, which used the Beatles' 'Revolution' just as Nike did with its ad of the same name in 1987. Those same sneakers would be worn by each member during the group's mass suicide at the month's end. Per the ledgers, on March 1, 1997, two members purchased the sneakers in bulk for $548.45 from a store in North County, in the San Diego area. Ledgers bequeathed to those who run the Heaven's Gate website give the exact details of the transaction. It was a combination of factors that made the sale happen, not because of a particular model or brand.' 'They were also to able to get a good deal on them. 'They turned out to be a look that Do and the Class liked,' the response read. When we asked about the sneakers, the response explained that the Nike Decade was a budget option that appealed to the group's leader. The site even has a contact email address listed, and those who run it will promptly answer questions about the group. According to Gizmodo, the site is ran by ex-members Mark and Sarah King, who left the group in 1987. ButВ there's no doubt that part of the brand's avoidance of a retro has to do with the dark and tragic events that earned the shoe infamy.Д«izarrely, the official website of Heaven's Gate is maintained to this day. No Air Max on the bottom or neoprene Huarache material on top meant that it wasn't exactly a hallmark of Nike's innovative efforts at the time. Originally a 1993 release by most accounts, the model didn't feature any of the signature tech of its era. Part of this probably has to do with the fact that the shoe is a pretty nondescript runner. Unsurprisingly, the shoeВ has never been back since its original release. Grainy photos from the scene have been examined plenty by footwear enthusiasts online since, who eventually pegged it properly as the Nike Decade. The relatively unknown Nike model was for many years assumed to be a Nike Cortez. The eerie photos from the scene of the crime famously featured each member in the same uniform, with the same black pants and black andВ white Nikes. The shoes were worn by members of the Heaven's Gate cult during the group's mass suicide that took place from March 24-26, 1997.

The Nike DecadeВ in its black and white colorway is one of those shoes, and is tied to a particularly morbid moment in American history. But,В sometimesВ these moments come from a newsworthy eventВ wherein a pair of shoes builds a lasting connection for anyone preoccupied with footwear. Some of these come from movies: the Nike Cortez will always be associated with Forrest Gump and the Nike Air Command Force is the White Men Can't Jump sneaker. There are certain shoes that end up imprinted in our collective memory because of their presence in a pop culture moment.

Black and white nike shoes