Newsweek

For Sale: Cult Shoes, Never Worn

Twenty years after the Heaven’s Gate suicides, you can buy the victims’ discontinued Nike sneakers, with a big markup.
Dick Joslyn, former member of the Heaven's Gate cult, displays his black Nike sneakers at a news conference on April 18, 1997 in San Diego. Joslyn said the shoes were worn by the 39 cult members, who all committed suicide because of the shoe company's motto, "Just Do It."
04_14_Cult_01

What’s the proper dress code for a mass suicide? Obviously, the occasion calls for some level of formality, but one doesn’t want to overdress. It’s a death ritual, not a fashion show.

Twenty years ago, the Heaven’s Gate UFO cult chose health goth. Considering the current athleisure trend, it was a remarkably fashion-forward choice. When the bodies of 39 members were found in a suburban mansion in San Diego, they were wearing matching outfits: heads shaved, bodies covered in purple shrouds, black shirts and sweatpants, patches

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Newsweek

Newsweek3 min read
Newsweek
GLOBAL EDITOR IN CHIEF _ Nancy Cooper EXECUTIVE EDITOR _ Jennifer H. Cunningham VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL _ Laura Davis DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS _ Melissa Jewsbury OPINION EDITOR _ Batya Ungar-Sargon GLOBAL PUBLISHING EDITOR _ Chris Roberts SENIOR EDITOR
Newsweek1 min read
The Archives
“After the bloody steps, the heart-rending funerals, the surreal chase through the twilight of Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson surrendered himself into the darkness his life has become,” Newsweek wrote after the famous white Ford Bronco chase on a Californ
Newsweek1 min read
Banding Together
Members of Haiti’s National Palace band are escorted into the official residence by an armed guard on April 25 for the swearing-in of a nine-member transitional council. Prime Minister Ariel Henry had handed in his resignation amid spiraling violence

Related Books & Audiobooks