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Legendary movie star Steve McQueen loved the fast track, and always wore the same pair of Red Wing boots. Minnesota’s Red Wing Shoes partnered with his family, in particular granddaughter Molly McQueen, on a new campaign that celebrates the King of Cool by promoting the ideas of legacy clothing and sustainability.

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The newest “Will your Wings” campaign featuring McQueen starts this week and encourages customers to pass down their beloved Red Wing boots to heirs. The campaign is “our representation of steering clear of fast fashion,” said Red Wing creative director Aaron Seymour-Anderson. “This is intentionally a campaign that is pushing against fast fashion. Our boots last so long that you can hand them down to someone else.”

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To kick off the idea, the Red Wing boots, Minn.-based manufacturer is partnering on a limited edition of the “Classic Moc” Red Wing boots worn by McQueen in the 1960s and 1970s, including on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

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The updated leather boots feature a McQueen signature and “278,” his racing number. While the new and somewhat contrarian marketing campaign highlights a well-known player in America’s $95 billion footwear marketplace, the company does not expect it to win any sales awards.

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That’s because only about 500 pairs of the $420 McQueen Classic Mocs will be made. They will be sold online and in 20 of Red Wing’s 575 stores, including the flagship store in Red Wing. To emphasize the legacy angle, store clerks will stitch fabric “legacy gifting tags” inside the tongue of each boot. Customers can then write their own name on the tag, along with the name of the person to whom they’ll will the boots.

Mary Van Note and Beth Perro-Jarvis, former Fallon ad executives and founders of the Minneapolis-based brand strategy and research firm Ginger Consulting, said Red Wing’s marketing approach takes a page from the “sneaker drops” that other shoe companies do. They will release only 20 or so pairs of an exclusive design to one or two obscure retail shops.

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That creates a big buzz, heightens demand and increases the chance a buyer will drop big money for what they see as a luxury item.