If you type Crocs into Google, two of the top searched questions are: ‘why are Crocs so popular?’ and ‘when did crocs become a trend?’
For a microwave minute, Crocs were the shoe people questioned. Wearing Crocs in public was something almost taboo after their reign died out in the early 2010s and the kids who rocked them grew up. However, it’s the 2020s now, and Crocs are back with a bang in the new decade as people remember how carefree life once was.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Crocs’ latest collections and collaborations are somewhat different from what we once knew Crocs to be, and yet very similar at the same time.
When we started seeing Crocs doing the rounds in collaborations with the likes of Salehe Bembury, fashionistas’ ears started to perk up. However, even before this, this year especially we’ve seen people enjoying the anti-fashion appeal boldly, and so the Crocs trend was ignited again.
How did it happen?
It’s not so much that Crocs are back, as much as it is that they have had some timely rebranding. Teaming up with the likes of Justin Bieber and Post Malone, the anti-fashion movement started seeing a pop culture adoration based on one pivotal thing: fun.
Their Tropical Collection is a local case in point, which Cape Town’s scene is loving. I have a pair myself, and for those who ask me ‘why’ the simple answer is: because it’s fun writes Cape {town} Etc’s Ashleigh Nefdt.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
The fashion world, for GenZ at least, got tired of being in the straight-jacket of what’s expected. Crocs take us back to a time when we were kids. When wearing chunky colourful footgear was freeing, and no one was particularly bothered by what you wore on your feet, or if you even wore shoes at all.
For the most part, the Tropical Collection alongside Crocs’ other recent ranges like the Pride Collection still have the fundamental Croc elements. The shoe hasn’t been reimagined completely. Maybe there’s an elevated sole and some tye-dye colourways involved, but what’s really changed is the eye of the beholder.
Crocs know what they offer, which, succinctly put is: the thrill of the gaze.
View this post on Instagram
What speaks more to GenZ than attention, and dismissing the opinions of others?
High fashion also had a role in the trend-setting. This year, luxury fashion house Balenciaga released the “Balenciaga Clones” collection as part of their Spring collection for 2022, which featured Crocs as a main collaboration. Again, the point wasn’t fashion, it was fun.
Back in 2017, Crocs made their debut into the realm of high fashion, again with Balenciaga guiding their way. The point again was the former, and for the first time, everyone in Paris was talking about Crocs.
View this post on Instagram
In terms of profitability, shares of Crocs Inc. have soared to a record high after the footwear retailer said it expects its revenue to climb to more than $5 billion by 2026 (roughly R72 billion) and analysts project sales of $2.27 billion this year (roughly R29 billion), according to the publication Business Of Fashion.
What can we take away from Crocs on the platform rise again? Well, my answer is two-fold.
Fashion that cares too much about what others think is overrated in today’s gaze, and fun-loving freedom is back.
You can shop the look here.
Picture: Instagram/ @Crocs
