Crocs are for footwear what Splayds are for cutlery – champions of functionality in the face of convention.
The Crocs story began in 2002 when three friends – Scott Seamans, Lyndon “Duke” Hanson and George Boedecker Jr – launched the quirky, foam clog at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in Florida, based on an earlier design by Andrew Reddyhoffs at a Canadian company called Foam Creations, Inc.
Originally intended as a boating shoe, the first Crocs model, the Beach, was made from a proprietary closed-cell resin called Croslite – a soft, lightweight and waterproof material that provided excellent grip and comfort. (In 2004, Crocs actually bought the rights to the material Croslite. It paved the way for the Crocs brand to become exclusively known for this type of material.)
The 200 pairs of shoes at the boat show sold out instantly – and a brand was born.
Each pair of Crocs (the classic design) has 26 holes (13 in each shoe), which allow them to stay cool and dry. Water can drain out of the holes, and air can get in and out. The holes also make these shoes more lightweight by using less material overall.
Crocs were unapologetically ugly from the start (indeed “Ugly can be beautiful” was the tagline for their 2005 marketing campaign) – but their comfort, durability and practicality quickly gained a devoted following. Nurses, chefs, gardeners and hospital workers adopted them as an all-day shoe for long shifts and tough surfaces. By the mid-2000s, the brand had gone public, and sales soared into the hundreds of millions.
But success came with a backlash. As Crocs became ubiquitous, so did the criticism. Fashionistas derided them as the “shoe that refuses to die”, and in 2010, Time magazine listed them among the “50 Worst Inventions”. Yet even as they became a punchline, they refused to go away – worn by everyone from toddlers to retirees.
Then something unexpected happened: Crocs started to become cool.
Around the late 2010s, Crocs experienced a full-blown cultural reappraisal, driven by a mix of nostalgia, irony and high-fashion subversion. Celebrities began embracing the brand – notably US rapper Post Malone, who released multiple Crocs collaborations that sold out in minutes. In 2020, Justin Bieber and his fashion label drew house dropped lavender-coloured Crocs with matching Jibbitz (the shoe’s custom snap-on charms). Crocs had officially crossed into the realm of streetwear.
High fashion took notice too. In 2017, Balenciaga unveiled a platform version of the classic Croc at Paris Fashion Week –adding inches of height and hundreds of dollars to the price tag. That collaboration caused a stir, but it signalled something deeper: Crocs had become a symbol of anti-fashion turned fashion. To wear them was to say, “I don’t care what you think”, which, ironically, became the very essence of cool.
Social media helped fuel the trend. Crocs became meme material, especially on TikTok, where Gen Z adopted them for their bold colours, comfort and customisation potential. The company’s “Come As You Are” campaign celebrated individuality and self-expression, resonating with Gen Z’s values of authenticity and inclusivity.
People began collecting Jibbitz and using them to make fashion statements, political statements or just jokes. The company leaned into this energy, launching ever-wilder designs – from fuzzy-lined winter Crocs to camo-print collaborations.
Crocs saw a massive surge in popularity in 2020, caused by the rise of casual fashion during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and its worldwide lockdowns. By 2022, they were the best-selling item of clothing on Amazon.
Today, Crocs continues to thrive, selling in over 90 countries and showing no sign of slowing down. Their story is one of reinvention, irony and the enduring power of functionality and comfort over convention.
See also: Splayds [RR1:77] and Anatomy of Cool [RR2:03]
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocs
thefactshop.com/fashion-facts/crocs-shoe-facts
shahmm.medium.com/the-crocs-phenomenon-how-an-ugly-shoe-built-a-beautiful-business
open24.ee/files/uploaded/ergonomics-analyses-of-crocs-footwear.pdf
Images
1. White Crocs. Credit: Crocs.com
2. Crocs logo
3. Crocs founders: Scott Seamans, Lyndon “Duke” Hanson and George Boedecker Jr
4. Post Malone sold outCrocs. Credit: GQ
5. Crocs by Balenciaga, October 2017
6 & 7. Ergonomic superiority of Crocs footwear. Credit: open24.ee
8. Crocs newer style. Credit: Crocs.com
9. Crocs are Splayds for your feet. See: Splayds [RR1:77]
