White Vans sneakers are experiencing a resurgence thanks to Squid Game. Photo / Netflix
White Vans sneakers are experiencing a resurgence thanks to Squid Game. Photo / Netflix
Squid Game has become so huge, it's even inspired a sartorial resurgence of the humble white Vans sneaker.
According to British online retailer Sole Supplier, sales for the shoes have skyrocketed 7800 per cent since the Korean dystopian drama premiered on Netflix on September 17.
If you're one of therare people who aren't familiar with the Squid Game phenomenon, it's centred on a competition in which 456 indebted, desperate souls play children's games to claim the ultimate prize, roughly $50 million.
Each round of eliminations doesn't involve the losers being sent off the island, it's far more brutal than that – death.
White Vans sneakers are experiencing a resurgence thanks to Squid Game. Photo / Netflix
Competitors are garbed in a uniform of forest green track suits with a stripe and white slip-on sneakers. Not just comfortable, the outfit allows for the range of physical movements necessary in a fight for your life.
Perhaps it doesn't need to be said, but many pairs of those pristine white sneakers end up splattered in blood.
With Halloween coming up in a few weeks – which is now a thing outside of the US thanks the unabated march of American cultural dominance – Squid Game fans have been assembling their costumes.
Amazon sellers capitalising on the show's popularity have been hawking costumes from the series, such as the green tracksuit, even emblazoned with Kang Sae-byeok's number. The listing is already top of Amazon's "women's costumes" charts.
For fans who would rather dress up as the oppressors than the victims, there's the option of red jumpsuits coupled with fencing masks. Variety reported searches for red boilersuits jumped 62 per cent in recent weeks.
Squid Game is streaming now on Netflix. Photo / Netflix
Nine days after its release, Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos revealed the series was set to overtake Bridgerton as the streamer's most watched original TV show ever.
The series has topped Netflix watchlists the world over since its release three weeks ago.
The surge in popularity has led one South Korean internet service provider to pursue its lawsuit against Netflix for clogging up its bandwidth without paying network fees.
It has also led to online debates over whether non-Korean speakers would be better off watching the show with an audio dubbing track or the subtitles, and whether the show serviced its female characters with care.
