‘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.



US Singer Chris Brown in London Court on Assault Case

US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
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US Singer Chris Brown in London Court on Assault Case

US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

American R&B singer Chris Brown, the former boyfriend of superstar Rihanna, was due to appear in court Friday in London on assault charges.

Brown was freed from UK custody last month on £5 million ($6.7 million) bail after his arrest in the northwestern city of Manchester, AFP said.

Under the terms of his bail, which would see him forfeit the £5 million guarantee if he failed to return for court proceedings, the Grammy-winning Brown, 36, was given the go-ahead to continue his scheduled international tour, which began on June 8 in Amsterdam.

The star, who had a troubled relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna, is currently performing the UK leg of his tour, with his next date in London on Saturday.

Concerts are also scheduled in France, Portugal and the US later in the year, before the tour wraps up in Memphis in mid-October.

The star is charged with "grievous bodily harm with intent" in relation to an assault in which the victim was allegedly struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked.

The alleged incident took place at a nightclub in Hanover Square in London on February 19, 2023 while Brown was touring in the UK.

Police detained him in the early hours of May 13 at a five-star hotel in Manchester after he reportedly flew in by private jet.

Judge Tony Baumgartner, at Southwark Crown Court in London, last month ordered that he could be freed on bail, and also stipulated that he should surrender his passport if he is not travelling.

He is required to live at a specific address known to the court and is not permitted to visit the nightclub were the alleged assault took place or contact the alleged victim, Abraham Diah.

Co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, a 38-year-old US national, has also been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent.

Brown is known for mid-2000s hits such as "Kiss, Kiss".

He rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame with his rich R&B voice and later rap, but his reputation has been tarnished by the allegations of abuse.