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‘Squid Game’ Mania Has Shoppers Snapping up Vans’ White Slip-on Shoes

A scene from Squid Game on Netflix. (Netflix)
A scene from Squid Game on Netflix. (Netflix)
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‘Squid Game’ Mania Has Shoppers Snapping up Vans’ White Slip-on Shoes

A scene from Squid Game on Netflix. (Netflix)
A scene from Squid Game on Netflix. (Netflix)

White slip-on shoes are becoming a hot commodity thanks to the wildly popular South Korean survival drama “Squid Game”, with sneaker maker VF Corp reporting a small increase in demand for its Vans brand.

The series, which became a global sensation and the No.1 program on Netflix, shows hundreds of cash-strapped players competing in hyperviolent games, sporting shoes resembling Vans’ all-white slip-ons.

“We saw a nice spike -- well, I’d call it a small spike, but I’ll promise this is not a damned annual event,” VF Chief Financial Officer Matt Puckett said on Friday, adding the apparel maker would use this moment to build on Vans’ connection to pop culture.

VF Corp missed Wall Street estimates for quarterly revenue and profit on Friday due to global supply chain disruptions and production shortfalls in Vietnam.

The “Made in Korea” green tracksuits and pink boiler suits worn by characters in the show have proven a pre-Halloween bright spot for the South Korean garment industry struggling during the health crisis.

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‘The Institute’: Stephen King’s New TV Thriller Premieres in London

Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
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‘The Institute’: Stephen King’s New TV Thriller Premieres in London

Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

American writer Stephen King and director Jack Bender have joined forces again for a new TV thriller "The Institute", which premiered in London on Thursday.

Based on King’s best-selling 2019 novel by the same name, Bender said after working together on shows such as crime drama "Mr. Mercedes" and sci-fi show "Under the Dome" they were keen to find a new project.

"This show is about the power of youth coming together to rectify the world that all of us adults have screwed up a little bit," Bender said.

As well as directing, Bender, along with King has an executive producer credit on the show, as does Ben Cavell, who also wrote the small screen adaptation.

Joe Freeman, in his first major role, stars as Luke Ellis, a teenager with unusual abilities, who is kidnapped and taken to "The Institution," a facility full of trapped kids with psychological powers.

"He's never acted and he's remarkable .... The minute I saw him on tape, it was: 'Oh, my God, this kid is it. He's so real,'" Bender said of 19-year-old Freeman, the son of actor Martin Freeman.

Asked if his dad, known for "The Hobbit" franchise and "Sherlock" had given him any advice, Joe Freeman said it was not to take anything for granted, as "the job (of an actor) is 99% rejection."

Freeman stars alongside Emmy award winner Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Sigsby, who runs the institution and Ben Barnes, who plays an ex-cop whose life becomes intertwined with the facility.

"It's a sort of... a slow simmering sort of horrifying thriller rather than a horror," Barnes said.

While the first series covers the book, there are plans to continue.

"We certainly intend to tell much more story... if there's an appetite for it, we will absolutely continue this story because these characters, these actors, this crew... it all feels too good to leave behind," Cavell said.