In 2006, New York City designer Ari Saal Forman dropped a limited run of Menthol 10s, a one-of-a-kind sneaker that drew inspiration from and took a shot at Nike and Newport. Written right there on the tongue, Ari explained that the shoe was "dedicated to the two brands that have taken the most and given the least." Once the companies got word that the shoe was out, they did everything they could to get it off the market.
Ari wound up getting a cease-and-desist letter from Nike and facing an aggressive lawsuit from Newport. To this day, he's not even legally allowed to own a pair. VICE met up with Ari in Manhattan to hear the inside story of why he made the Menthol 10s, and why he took on a legal battle in the name of conscious consumerism.
Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE
Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
Click here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6v
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vice
Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/vice
Download VICE on iOS: http://apple.co/28Vgmqz
Download VICE on Android: http://bit.ly/28S8Et0
The Bootleg Nikes that Got Banned by Big Tobacco ─ VICE
<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style><div class="embed-container"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XDUgxTQGkEE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
