Well, when you don’t run commercials, you gotta make that money some other way. We’ve already reported that Netflix and ‘Stranger Things 3’ have struck licensing deals with Coca-Cola, to reintroduce New Coke, and Baskin Robbins as a tie-in to the show’s fictitious Scoops Ahoy! ice cream parlor. Now comes word that another deal has been struck with Nike, who will introduce a wave of retro kicks, that the cast will presumably be sporting in the upcoming episodes.
In the summer of 1985, several transport vehicles departed from Nike HQ in Beaverton, Oregon, carrying special product shipments headed to multiple locations across the US. Unfortunately, a few of the shipments never made it to their destination. These vehicles all had one thing in common…they were last seen on surveillance footage passing through Hawkins, Indiana. Nike, concerned and confused, never mentioned these missing shipments to anyone for fear that something supernatural was at play. 34 years later, they’ve been found…
Yes, Nike has created a backstory for these shoes. The most jarring thing about the new shoes is their overall appearance. No one wore basketball shoes in 1985. The first Nike Air Jordans were released in 1985, the year in which the new episodes take place, but it took a few years for them to really *ahem* take off.
Instead, these look more like what we now consider street or “skater shoes”– Adidas, Vans, Pumas, etc. These designs are based on actual Nikes from 1985. Whatever the style, hopefully, they make it easier to run away from flesh-eating extra-dimensional monsters.
The items will be released in two waves. The “Hawkins High Collection” launches on June 27th, and includes three styles of shoes, plus a Dustin-style trucker hat, a Hawkins High tee shirt, and a sweatshirt. The color scheme borrows from Hawkins High’s school colors, green and orange. (Gross.) The “OG Collection” launches on July 1st, featuring the same shoes in red, white and blue. The shoes arrive just in time for the Fourth of July, which also happens to be the day that ‘Stranger Things 3’ drops.
Check out the new ‘Stranger Things’ Nikes below:
Hawkins High Collection Blazer:
Hawkins High Collection Tailwind:
Hawkins High Collection Cortez:
Additional Hawkins High Collection “spirit wear”:
The “OG Collection” features the same styles, but in patriotic colors, just in time for July 4th!
OG Collection Blazer:
OG Collection Tailwind:
OG Collection Cortez:
All three style of shoes carry an m.s.r.p. of $120. It does not appear that the price varies between the two Collections.
Will you be slipping on a pair of these before your next jog past the creepy nearby research lab?
Source: Esquire
