Cool-Casual and the Crocs Resurgence

Originally produced as a humble boat shoe, the iconic clog became the footwear choice for any adventure in the outdoors. Worn by gardeners, campers, and those with an attraction to the elements, Crocs soon earned a status that stuck – ugly.

Now spotted on it-girls on Insta and A-list celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner, the humble croc has taken on a new identity.

So how has the brand, known for ugly shoes, reinvented itself?

The brands’ revival and subsequent resurgence were caused by a combination of factors. A handful of successful high-fashion collaborations, a shift, catalysed by the pandemic, from formalwear to loungewear and the rise of ‘ugly-cool’.

Ugly fashion has been in fashion for a while now, and by all accounts, it’s here to stay.

Garments in this fashion realm steer clear from the preppy and the tailored; instead, they focus on cool, urban and futuristic fashion. It’s the rise of chunky sneakers and sandals, lame dad-jeans and the unification of colours that don’t go – ‘blue and green should never be seen’.

Crocs are the quintessential example of this. They are clunky, bright and made from the brand’s own foam resin material that looks and smells like rubber.

I am officially putting it on the record – Crocs are cool!

If expressing individuality and unique style is your thing, you can customise and adorn your Crocs with Jibbitz ‘shoe charms’, with almost every conceivable symbol or emoji now available as a Jibbit.

Balenciaga even collaborated with the boat shoe brand, releasing their Balenciaga X Croc Floral-print Clogs. Whilst the shoe maintains its signature material, Balenciaga has added a luxe twist with oversized, oversaturated tulips printed on the entire shoe.

Love them or hate them, the various renditions of the Croc clogs are certainly showstopping. They are, in fact, so hot off the press that you can almost smell the Croslite rubber through the screen.

Image via @brentmanrock