Sales of a plain-white slip-on shoe made by Vans have skyrocketed in past weeks after fashion-conscious TV viewers spotted them in the hit Netflix TV show Squid Game.

The dystopian series follows hundreds of debt-ridden Koreans tricked into playing deadly renditions of children’s games for the chance to win millions of dollars.

Despite its grim plotline, gory action sequences and language barrier, the show became a smash-hit and is on track to become the most-watched program on Netflix.

South Korean internet provider SK even took the extreme step of suing Netflix for network and maintenance costs after the show’s popularity drove a spike in the volume of data it was forced to process for customers.

The popularity of the show has since extended to the clothes worn by the characters – specifically, the Vans ‘Triple White’ slip-on sneaker.

Sales of the classic shoe have increased 7,800% since the show’s premiere.

Vans is not the only retailer to benefit from the show’s popularity, either. An Yong-hui, who made a type of honeycomb biscuit known as a ‘dalgona’ for the show, told Reuters his daily sales have climbed 150% since the show launched.

Meanwhile, digital marketplace Amazon now offers more than 2,000 results for ‘Squid Game costume’ and Google data shows searches for that same term have also surged.

V.F. Corporation (NYSE: VFC) – which owns Vans, Inc as well as other lifestyle brands The North Face, JanSport and Dickies – jumped 2.1% immediately after news of the 7,800% increase in sales broke.

Sources:

• Sneaker Freaker: Vans Slip-On Sales Surge 7,800% After Squid Game
• Bloomberg: ‘Squid Game’ Proves Netflix’s Biggest Advantage Is Foreign Language TV
• The Guardian: You’ve seen the gory Squid Game TV show? Now buy the tracksuit…
• ABC News: South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband sues Netflix over ‘Squid Game’ traffic surge
• Seeking Alpha: Vans slip-on shoe sales grew 7,800% following ‘Squid Game’ release