While countless factors contribute to Stranger Things' popularity, the setting undoubtedly makes the series stand out. Set in the early 1980s in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, the show follows a group of young teenagers as they navigate friendship, love and the supernatural, as any pubescent child does.
Season three of Stranger Things came out on July 4 because Netflix knows there is no better way to spend Independence Day than binge watching your favourite series. And Nike happily jumped on the bandwagon of staying indoors while fireworks explode by announcing their new collaboration with Stranger Things.
The crossover line of the year, inspired by Stranger Things' Hawkins High, features the school's green-and-orange colour scheme, along with their tiger mascot. The Stranger Things x Nike apparel line is inspired by classic P.E. style as the main characters in the show gear up to start high school. And while the result is several perfect retro-athleisure pieces, I can't imagine any of us are dying to relive gym class. But I'll make a sacrifice to wear these sweatpants.
Though the line includes several nostalgic sweatshirts and tee shirts, the shining stars of the collection are the sneakers. Nike chose to decorate their classic Cortez, Blazer and Tailwind shoes. They released the first drop on June 27, and the second follows on July 12. The follow-up "OG Pack" will feature classic red, white and blue sneakers in the three silhouettes.
This all comes just in time to celebrate the third season of Stranger Things, in which much of the cast wears Nike's signature swoop. The line recognises the show's affinity and reflection of 1980s style while simultaneously paying tribute to the year Nike came out with their Air collection in 1985.
To announce the iconic release, Nike even channeled the show's mysterious themes and wrote on their website:
“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, signs of the missing shipments are popping up, piece by piece, and it’s clear that there is something deeper, darker and more evil brewing. Fortunately, some of the missing shipments have been located. Their contents are what we now know as iconic Nike styles: the Cortez, Blazer and Air Tailwind ‘79."
"Introduced alongside matching apparel, these classic Nike silhouettes were originally intended for the Hawkins High Athletic Dept and feature green and orange color combos with Hawkins High logos. Each shoe comes complete with original-inspired Nike packaging and special edition pins."
You'll never look better binging Stranger Things than you will in your new wardrobe. One summer really can change everything.