What Is Warren Lotas?
Reaper skulls, limited drops, one of the most publicized trademark fights in sneaker history, and a flood of fake websites. Warren Lotas is easy to love and easy to get wrong. Here is the real story, the official prices and how to avoid the copies.
Warren Lotas built a brand on a skeleton with a scythe. The Reaper turns up on hoodies, tees, hats and shoes, always a little too heavy, a little too dark, a little too limited. It is the opposite of quiet luxury, and it is why people queue for drops, and why scammers copy the website.
The story
A third-party profile says Lotas started the label around 2014 as an 18-year-old college freshman, calling it “In Memory of Bill” after his late uncle, who died of ALS. I found no official founding date, so the year is approximate. Before the Nike dispute he had customized real Nike sneakers, and the business grew when he turned to the SB Dunk Low.
The brand’s big collaborations came early. It made an exclusive capsule with Fear of God in May 2018, per Hypebeast, and a bespoke capsule with The Weeknd’s XO in April 2019. Wikipedia also lists a 2021 Dodge SRT collection, licensed merchandise with the Utah Jazz, a college co-branded line with the Collegiate Licensing Company and an NFL collection with Mitchell & Ness.
- About 2014Starts as “In Memory of Bill.”
- May 2018Fear of God capsule.
- April 2019The Weeknd XO capsule.
- September 2020The Staple “Pigeon” Dunk-style sneaker is posted on Instagram.
- Mid-October 2020Nike sues; the website is closed to orders.
- December 2020Confidential settlement filed; the Reaper sneaker goes ahead.
- 2021Dodge SRT collection (Wikipedia).
- 2022NFL collection with Mitchell & Ness; West Hollywood flagship, per Wikipedia.
- August 7, 2026Dragon Ball Z “The Last Dance” collection on warrenlotas.com.
The Nike lawsuit
Nike filed suit in mid-October 2020, calling Lotas a “bad actor” selling “illegal fakes” of coveted Dunks, including a Staple Pigeon pair. WWD reported the Dunk-style pairs retailed for about $300 but often resold for more than triple that. Lotas had called them custom reinterpretations. A federal judge in Los Angeles granted most of Nike’s requests for an order stopping the lookalikes, citing marketplace confusion, per Complex. Nike also objected to the replacement shoes Lotas offered, arguing they still copied part of the Dunk, per Inverse.
In December 2020 the parties filed a confidential settlement. The proposed consent judgment bars Lotas from selling products that use Nike’s trademarks and trade dress, including the Swoosh, the “Nike” and “Dunk” names and the Dunk silhouette. It did not cover the Reaper sneaker. Lotas said he processed 29,000 refunds on $300 pairs and credited 7,000 pre-orders toward the Reaper, per Sneaker Freaker. No payment was disclosed.
Warren Lotas now
The most striking 2026 news is “The Last Dance,” a Dragon Ball Z collection that dropped on August 7, 2026 at 5 p.m. Eastern on warrenlotas.com. Modern Notoriety reports that Lotas called it his final anime bootleg project, following a recent bootleg Pokémon collection. It features tees and hoodies that turn characters such as Goku, Majin Buu, Cell and Omega Shenron into his signature skeleton graphics, with a Shenron graphic across the back of every shirt. I could not find official retail prices for it.
Reaper graphics
Skulls and skeletons in many forms on hoodies, tees, hats and shorts.
Licensed sports
NBA team items and an NFL collaboration with Mitchell & Ness.
Bootleg anime drops
Pokémon, then Dragon Ball Z “The Last Dance,” limited and fast-selling.
Reaper sneaker
The shoe that replaced the lookalikes, with a “Clean Slate” colorway.
Price chart: official NBA collection prices, in US dollars
Prices on a warrenlotas.com collection page seen in October 2026. Full bar equals $250.
I did not collect official prices for jackets, sneakers or the Dragon Ball Z drop.
Price chart: Dragon Ball Z resale asking prices
Listings on eBay for Warren Lotas x Dragon Ball Z pieces. These are asking prices, not completed sales, and they come from different drops. Full bar equals $400.
The same type of item is listed anywhere from about $60 to $400, so treat any single resale price with caution. Source: eBay listings seen in November 2026.
Chart: the 2020 Nike case in numbers
Pairs affected, as stated by Lotas. Full bar equals 30,000.
Source: Sneaker Freaker. A separate Complex headline claims Lotas sold over $10 million of Dunk-style sneakers; I treat that as an unverified past sales claim.
From the official store
Prices as listed on the official Warren Lotas store (warrenlotas.com) on November 8. Fakes are covered in the section below.
Leather Applique Reaper Denim Pant - Faded Indigo
Denim pant with leather appliques; the most expensive item shown.
$495
Warren Lotas official store · Image: Warren Lotas official store
Iron Maidens T-Shirt - Blue
Graphic tee.
$95
Warren Lotas official store · Image: Warren Lotas official store
Hybrid Cargo Sweatpants - Urban Camo
Cargo sweatpants in camo.
$185
Warren Lotas official store · Image: Warren Lotas official store
HAZARD Longsleeve - Cedar Green
Long-sleeve tee.
$110
Warren Lotas official store · Image: Warren Lotas official store
Fakes and where to buy
Many websites with near-identical names pose as the official store, and their prices contradict each other: when I checked in October, one Reaper hoodie appeared at $125, $199, $250 and $320 across different sites, against $215 for team hoodies on the page I could tie to the brand. They also list inconsistent addresses and some state they are independent retailers, not affiliated with Warren Lotas.
| Channel | What you get | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| warrenlotas.com | Drops and collections | The domain linked from Wikipedia and used for the August 2026 drop |
| West Hollywood store | In-person shopping | Per Wikipedia; check the brand’s social accounts for current hours |
| Licensed sports retailers | NBA and NFL lines | Check the product against the brand’s own page |
| Resale marketplaces | Sold-out drops | Asking prices vary widely; verify condition and seller |
Reach the store through the links on the brand’s official social profiles, not a search result, and be wary of any site with deep discounts on drop items. For more on spotting copies, see our guide to how to spot fake streetwear. I found no official authentication guide from Warren Lotas.
What the numbers say
There are no public financials. Warren Lotas is a private company with no disclosed investors or parent, so I found no revenue, profit or monthly figures, and I have not estimated any from prices or refund counts. The only sales-related claims are the 2020 figures above, which describe a single product line before the lawsuit and not annual revenue.
| Metric | Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual revenue and profit | No | Private company |
| 2020 Dunk-style sales | One headline claim | More than $10 million (Complex), unverified |
| 2020 refunds | Reported | 29,000 refunds, 7,000 pre-orders credited (Sneaker Freaker) |
| Drop sell-out data | No | Sold-out claims come from resellers, not the brand |
How it compares
| Label | Base | Signature | Price marker | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Lotas | Los Angeles | Reaper graphics, bootleg drops | $95–$215 official | This guide |
| Who Decides War | New York | Hand-distressed designer denim | Jerseys $200–$400 | Who Decides War guide |
| Wasted Youth | Tokyo | Skate and punk, VERDY | GUESS capsule ¥6,050–¥22,000 | Wasted Youth guide |
| Wood Wood | Copenhagen | Graffiti roots, Double A line | Discounted widely | Wood Wood guide |
Questions
What is Warren Lotas?
A Los Angeles streetwear brand known for Reaper skull graphics and limited drops.
Who founded it?
Warren Lotas, around 2014, under the earlier name “In Memory of Bill.”
What was the Nike lawsuit?
Nike sued in October 2020 over SB Dunk lookalikes. A confidential settlement was filed in December 2020, with an injunction on Nike trademarks and the Dunk silhouette.
What is “The Last Dance”?
A Dragon Ball Z bootleg collection released August 7, 2026, which Lotas called his last anime project.
How much does Warren Lotas cost?
On the official NBA page: $20 socks, $60 hats, $85 shorts, $95 to $115 tees and $215 hoodies.
Are there fake Warren Lotas websites?
Yes, many. Reach the store through the brand’s official social links.
Is Warren Lotas Japanese?
No, it is based in Los Angeles, though its anime drops borrow from Japanese series.
Is there financial data?
No. It is a private company.
Janet Arklis
Janet Arklis is a fashion writer at Street Iconic. She covers streetwear brands, designer collaborations, sneaker culture and Japanese fashion, with a focus on how a label’s history, ownership and design choices shape what ends up on the rack. Her guides trace where a brand came from, what it sells and what it costs, and she flags anything she could not verify.
Research support: AI tools working from public sources. Sources are listed at the end of every guide.
Keep reading
How to spot fake streetwear
Practical checks before you buy.
Anime and streetwear
Why anime graphics keep returning to fashion.
Who Decides War
New York’s distressed denim label.
All brand guides
Browse every Street Iconic brand explainer.
Sources
- Warren Lotas official store
- Modern Notoriety: Warren Lotas Dragon Ball Z collection
- Yahoo: Nike and Warren Lotas settle
- Complex: court orders Lotas to stop selling lookalikes
- Sneaker Freaker: confidential settlement
- Inverse: Nike on the replacement sneakers
- WWD: Warren Lotas closes site amid Nike lawsuit
- Hypebeast: Fear of God x Warren Lotas
- Wikipedia: Warren Lotas
- A Good Outfit: Who is Warren Lotas?
- Warren Lotas: NBA collection
- eBay: Majin Buu hoodie listing
Street Iconic is independent and not affiliated with Warren Lotas or Nike. Prices change; official prices were seen in October 2026 and resale prices in November 2026. Product images are from Warren Lotas official store. See our Disclaimer and Affiliate Disclosure.
