MINNEAPOLIS -- The fictional Midwestern town of Hawkins has come to Minnetonka in the form of turquoise and hot pink moccasin boots.

The Minneapolis-based footwear maker released a limited-edition collaboration with “Stranger Things” in anticipation of the show’s final season, wrapping up a more than two-year process designing a 1980s-inspired boot that still seems stylish.

For Minnetonka footwear, the collaboration is a form of marketing.

“So many people of all ages, and globally, watch [“Stranger Things”],” said Jori Miller Sherer, president of Minnetonka. “For us, we’re still a small business. We don’t have big budgets for big brand awareness campaigns, so to have it come about so organically and then to add that opportunity on top of it — that’s what made it a no-brainer for us.”

Amy Parris, the costume designer for “Stranger Things,” first reached out to Minnetonka in spring 2023 looking for a 1980s-inspired silhouette that could be worn by the fictional Holly Wheeler, younger sister to one of the series’ main characters, Mike Wheeler.

From there, Minnetonka’s team dived into the company’s archives and asked family members if there was a past style that might fit Parris’ vision, said Sandra Aris, lead designer at Minnetonka.

The final product was designed from scratch by combining contemporary elements with the company’s heritage style — made with suede and playful color-blocking and tassel accents.

The boots are made at Minnetonka’s factory in the Dominican Republic, which faces a 10% tariff under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Miller Sherer declined to comment on how tariffs are affecting the private company, which also partners with factories in China, further opening the company to tariff effects. The company declined to release financial details for recent quarters.

Red Wing Shoe Co. made a similar move in 2023 when it created Mario’s famous bulbous brown shoes from seasoned leather for the “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

But unlike that one-of-a-kind prototype, the “Stranger Things” boots are available for purchase. The line of products ranges from a $90 kids’ boot to a $130 women’s offering. The company also released a miniature boot keychain.

The partnership comes as Minnetonka is approaching its 80th anniversary and rethinking how to stay true to its brand while also being “relevant to today’s trends and expectations” for footwear, Aris said.

“Being successful in retail today ... requires finding ways to connect with the consumer,” Miller Sherer said. “‘Stranger Things’ is a perfect fit for where we are today. It blends the nostalgia that so many people associate with Minnetonka with the cultural relevance that draws in that younger audience.”

Four years ago, the company issued a formal apology for adopting Native American culture through its designs and marketing without acknowledgment. The company dropped “moccasin” from its logo in 2008 and had already removed the word from much of its corporate messaging by 2021.

It later relaunched its best-known style, the Thunderbird, in 2024 after a redesign by a Red Lake Nation artist.

Earlier this year, Minnetonka announced the Reclamation Collaborative, “dedicated to uplifting Native artistry, advancing industry education and helping to redefine Indigenous representation in fashion.”

The initiative is led by Adrienne Benjamin, who was hired as a reconciliation adviser in 2020.

The “Stranger Things” crossover isn’t the first time a Minnetonka product has appeared in popular culture.

Brad Pitt’s character Cliff Booth in “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” donned a pair of two-button boots that looked “very similar,” Miller Sherer said, to the company’s heritage style. The moccasin-maker didn’t collaborate with the team’s film but found a way to capitalize on the moment.

“We saw some promotional images of him in costume, and we still sold the women’s version of this boot, so we called our factory and said, ‘Do you still have the equipment for the men’s version launched in 1968?’ And they did,” Miller Sherer said.

The company relaunched the men’s version, and it’s now one of Minnetonka’s top-selling boots, Miller Sherer said.

The brand has previously collaborated with designer Rebecca Minkoff, Hello Kitty and Duluth Pack, but nothing “quite like ‘Stranger Things,’” Miller Sherer said.

There was a learning curve throughout the design process, Aris said.

The 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike meant filming was on and off, and Nell Fisher, the actress who plays Holly Wheeler in the fifth season, was still growing at the time, so Minnetonka had to send different sizes.

The design team also had to figure out how to give the boots a more rugged feel associated with the “Upside Down,” the show’s mysterious alternate dimension.

“That’s one of the best things about working with other brands. You push yourself to do things that maybe you haven’t done before, and you learn,” Miller Sherer said.

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