From Surfers to Rihanna: A Brief History of Uggs - The Most Delicate Shoes
FOR ZERO UGGS, WE ARE A MASS OF STEREOTYPES AND MEMESThat is not surprising: this shoe is outstanding in every sense of the word. The 2000s, meanwhile, are again on the runways, so wait for her speedy return to the wardrobes. So, the French brand Y / Project has already rethought the ugg boots: the hypertrophied forms of the jackboots look still unlucky, but definitely spectacular and fresh. The excitement caused by this collaboration on social networks has shown that a new look at these shoes is necessary - and that everyone will soon be wearing it again. We understand why.
How it all began
Strangely enough, but the history of the Uggs did not begin in cold lands, but on the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. It was there in the 1960s that surfers made comfortable sheepskin boots for themselves to warm up frozen and tired bundles after riding in the ocean. The creator of the first uggs are not found right now - many entrepreneurs are trying to ascribe credit to themselves.
For example, the Australian brand Blue Mountains Ugg Boots claims that it has been producing uggs since 1933. And entrepreneur Frank Mortel - that the name of the sheepskin boots appeared in the late 50s thanks to his wife: when he sewed the first pair, she called them ugly. The founder of the same company, Ugg, Brian Smith, suggests that he created a random surfer: he allegedly cut a sock out of sheepskin, glued an improvised linoleum sole onto it. In 1971, the alleged inventor also showed up: according to Australian surfer Shane Steadman, he registered the trademark "Ugh Boots" because it was he who invented this shoe. Like it or not, a decade later, uggs already called any boots made of sheepskin.
Such shoes, although they were popular goods, sold for $ 12 at Australian gas stations, but for a long time remained a thing that was purely functional. In these comfortable boots, all the surfers went in a row, but they were not considered an attribute of style. Today, the ugg boots are branded as “inappropriate shoes” and “overrated slippers”. Such boots have gained real popularity only in the US - ironically, there they were made by Australian surfer Brian Smith. Ugg, which he founded, earned a couple of million a year from the mid-80s, but the recipe for success became clear only in 1994, when the national newspaper USA Today published a photo from the set of "Malibu's Lifeguards" in which Pamela Anderson rehearsed on the beach in high places.
It only remained to show that other stars wear uggs all the time - and in the 2000s TV presenter Oprah Winfrey advertised sheepskin bots in her show, Sarah Jessica Parker orders an exclusive pair for the filming of "Sex and the City", and actress Sienna Miller puts on short boots to the festival Glastonbury. The company's strategy worked: it gave uggs to a pair of Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Hugh Jackman and other stars, and sales grew: only in 2008, profits amounted to 658 million dollars, and in 2017 - 1.49 billion. With the help of uggs, anyone could try on the relaxed lifestyle of a star — with a cup of latte in hand, in stretched workouts and beige boots.
What uggs wore to zero
Since the early 2000s, uggs flashed literally on every second snapshot of the paparazzi. The stars went shopping, walked the dogs, strolled around the shooting areas, met with partners - and if not in comfortable clothes, then certainly in soft woolen boots. Uggs were worn regardless of the weather and style, which is why a real vinaigrette from images was gathered. They were worn and actress Sarah Jessica Parker, known for her utilitarian approach to the wardrobe (she preferred to wear uggs under loose jeans, sweat pants and down jackets), and model Kate Moss (her choice is skinny jeans and leggings), a frequenter of the “style icons” headings of that time .
In Los Angeles, the younger generation of celebrities like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus wore uggs with other notable things: T-shirts with rhinestones, Ed Hardy T-shirts with illustrations in the form of tattoos, jeans with very low fit and corsets. Their young fans tried to keep up. Cozy and puffy uggs signaled: even if I am dressed like a rebel, now I am resting. They have become an axiom of comfort or, if you will, home slippers that can be worn on the street - and therefore, worn with everything.
How uggs get back into fashion
In 2017, the Man Repeller edition wondered: did uggs ever go into oblivion? If this shoes disappeared from the trendy radar, then on the streets you could still find a lot of plush boots, which is confirmed by sales reports. Now that the trend is for ugly shoes like huge sneakers or crocs on the tip, fashion magazines predict a logical return and sheepskin boots.
Back in 2017, the trend was not obvious: only Alexander Wang decided to pay attention to uggs, showing them in the autumn-winter collection, and designer Jeremy Scott, who in collaboration with Ugg created several pairs decorated with flames, inscriptions and rhinestones. However, the very beginning of this year was marked by a rethinking of soft boots. The Japanese brand Sacai offered to wear them in combination with long, bright socks, a "Canadian tuxedo" and knitwear with bright patterns. One of the most iconic collections of 2018 is already called the collaboration of the French brand Y / Project and Ugg: at the last men's fashion week in Paris, they showed boots and triple boots.
“There is not a single logical explanation for why I need uggs so much, but the fact remains a fact,” the authors of the American Vogue describe their attitude to plush boots like this. But Rihanna, whose stylist is sensitive to world trends, going out in uggs, was clearly not guided by comfort. With this representative action, the singer says: "Remember, it was I who brought them back into fashion." Well, in Russia spring will come very soon, and who are we to cross the riri.
Photo:UGG, Farfetch, UGG x Alexa Chung, UGG x 3.1 Phillip Lim
