The Comeback Kid
After four decades of being everything from the go-to brand for surfers and the choice of Paris Hilton to what collegiates wear, footwear label Ugg returns to its roots to do what it does best: Cali-cool shoes that don’t sacrifice comfort.
When Ugg founder Brian Smith first created the classic shearling boots in 1978, he never imagined them as It shoes. He’d designed them for surfers who needed warm footwear after a day of catching waves. Soon enough, though, their girlfriends caught on to the warmth and comfort of Ugg shoes, and so did the rest of America and the world. Paris Hilton called them “hot”, Britney Spears was never seen without hers, and even Oprah named them one of her favourite things.
Then Ugg stopped being desirable from the noughties. The Cali brand’s president Andrea O’Donnell knew it, but her first call to action wasn’t to give the shoes a massive overhaul. Instead, she focused on attracting new customers and retaining loyal fans by producing more trendy styles, more often. That’s given us furry slides, furry mules and furry sandals – with all the comfort synonymous with Ugg – in three collections a season as opposed to one a year.
From $150 for sandals to $370 for boots. For more of Ugg’s F/W ’18 collection, go to our digital edition.