Originally published on 12/6/25

Part 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 is officially here, and to celebrate Woman’s World sat down with costume designer Amy Parris to learn what went into crafting not only this season, but the previous ones as well. From the Hellfire Club shirt to Steve Harrington’s (Joe Keery) Scoops Ahoy outfit, she truly left nothing out. To read what Parris had to say scroll on. 

Amy Parris looks back on Seasons 1 through 4 of ‘Stranger Things’

When Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in 2016, viewers quickly fell in love with Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) pink dress and white knee high socks. And while Parris herself didn’t design that one, she did say, “That was Kimberly Adams, who did a perfect job. That dress is so iconic and perfect for the series.” 

Parris didn’t work on Season 2 of the show, taking on the position of costume designer in Season 3, which was when Steve’s Scoopy Ahoy costume came into play. Many fans argue that that one is the most iconic piece of clothing of the show’s run. 

“It was made from scratch, and was one of the first things I designed when I joined the show. The Duffer brothers were, like, ‘There’s not a lot of different stuff. There’s a couple of new characters. It’s summer, but what we’re really wanting to focus on is Steve. He’s gonna get a job at an ice cream shop.’ And so they said it should be goofy enough that it’s embarrassing, but yet something appealing enough to watch all season,” Parris said. “So in doing that, I looked at real costumes of a sailor, and kind of mixed it together.” 

Also iconic? The Hellfire Club shirt featured in both Season 4 and Season 5. 

“It was written that it was made by the boys in the club, and it should feel hand drawn. So my friend Trevor Gerard and I kind of collaborated on it, because he’s a fan of Dungeons & Dragons,” Parris said. “I do feel like it hits the marks of being something that looks like it was made by a bunch of high school boys. It’s the perfect club shirt. And then the fact that it was so popular is so cool.” 

Speaking of Hellfire, Parris did say that Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) was her favorite character to style. 

“It helps that Joe Quinn was so much the perfect Eddie as an actor. But in doing my research, he was kind of an amalgamation of all those sort of metal wizards, or metal kids, that listen to that kind of music, was into Dungeons & Dragons and maybe held back in school, so it was very authentic,” she said. 

Amy Parris teases ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 

Part 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 is filled with more iconic 80s costumes, with Parris saying, “It took so much time, so much energy, so much manpower, so many clothes, so many stains, so much dirt and so much cleaning, which is why it was so helpful to have Tide [whom the show has a partnership with] be a part of the series. The world of Stranger Things is written so big every season, and we just have to get bigger with it.” 

One of the things getting bigger is of course Vecna/Henry Creel/001/Mr.Whatsit (Jamie Campbell Bower) and while Parris didn’t design Vecna, she did help with Mr.Whatsit’s—a.k.a Henry’s— suit. 

“Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird was a great influence for Henry and his beautiful suit,” she said. “That fabric on camera was so stellar. In fact, that was like the third fabric we were trying to purchase. We had ordered one, but it got lost in shipment. We had ordered another, but it was sold out, so they didn’t have enough. And so that was my third fabric choice, and I was really bummed about it. But then once I saw it in person and saw him in it, I was, like, ‘Oh, never mind. We’re good. This is like a golden, warm, friendly fabric. I’m so excited that the third one was actually the number one.” 

Also changing up their style this season is Max Mayfireld (Sadie Sink), who is currently living in a cave in Vecna’s prison world.  

“That was one of the harder ones for me, because she’s meant to be wearing a bunch of different garments that have been on her for a long time,” Parris said. “We see the progression from Season 4’s outfit, where she’s sort of running through Henry’s mind, looking to figure out where she can be safe, and then she finds this cave.  But you see that the jeans are torn up.” 

“This was a delicate balance of making sure she looks like she’s been wearing these clothes for a long time, but then keeping them clean for an actor,” Parris continued. “So we put on as much permanent dirt as we could, and then we have to clean it for the actor to wear it. Luckily, having something like Tide helps clean that for us and makes it fresher, so that this actor doesn’t feel like she’s literally in a grimy tunnel.” 

Considering that Season 5 of the show isn’t officially over, it’s safe to say that more costumes are on the way, and while Parris can’t reveal what they are, she can tease what fans can expect from part 2 and the highly anticipated finale. 

“I can only tease that you’re going to love it, that it’s going to surpass your expectations for the finale of a show,” she said. “I can tease it’s going to get dirtier, and so you’re going to want to grab a good detergent to clean all these clothes, because it’s too much. It’s too much to do alone with, like a general detergent so Tide was super helpful. But I do think your mind will be blown for the finale.” 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/tv-shows/stranger-things-designer-reveals-stories-behind-iconic-costume-exclusive