Crocs’ strategy: Stay ugly

Crocs, “perhaps the most polarizing shoe of our time, is making a comeback,” said Abha Bhattarai in The Washington Post. After falling out of favor just as the recession hit, the much-maligned foam clogs “have come back from the dead,” appearing on the feet of celebrities and in the pages of Vogue. Executives say the resurgence can be traced to a return to basics. Since 2013, when private-equity titan Blackstone Group invested $200 million in it, Crocs has shuttered hundreds of stores and jettisoned unpopular styles, “shifting focus back to its classic” clog design. In particular, the shoes are enjoying a renaissance among the high school and college set, who have rediscovered them after wearing them as children. “Whether or not they’re actually cool—well, that’s up for debate,” said Cameron Peebles, of Californiabased marketing firm inMarket. “But our data shows that they’re popular again.”