The Uggs Comeback
Graphic by Carly Witteman.
I got my first, and only, pair of UGGs when I was in the seventh grade. Like most elementary schoolers, I didn't really pay much attention to what I wore, but unlike most elementary schoolers, my shoe game was off the charts. My most memorable moments were my Bella Ballerina and Heeley phases, but my UGGs, my UGGs were so much more than a phase … they were a lifestyle.
When I was in the sixth grade, the number one item on my Christmas list was a pair of UGGsUGGs. So when I saw a big, “Bailey Button Triplet '' sized box under my tree Christmas morning, I thought I had just hit the jackpot. So I hope you can understand my disappointment after opening up the box and seeing a pair of Bearpaw boots. Looking back, it was extremely reasonable of my parents not to get me, who was barely a preteen at the time, a pair of $200 plus dollar boots. But needless to say, I was distraught.
Why did I want UGGs so bad? Because everyone had them; as soon as the weather fell below 65 degrees, it seemed as if everyone was popping out with a pair of the sheepskin covered, wool-lined boots. Thankfully for me, my story didn't end that Christmas. I embraced my Bearpaw boots, I loved my Bearpaw boots, but my Bearpaw boots were not UGGs. So, with enough determination, I was able to convince my parents to get me a pair of UGGs that following Christmas.
Opening up my “Bailey Button Triplet” UGGs that year was one of the defining moments of my middle school years—I had just reached peak metamorphosis of the “middle school it-girl” trope. In no time, my UGGs and I would be sashaying to my locker, swinging my monogrammed lunch box in one hand and toting a cotton candy frappuccino in the other.
After middle school, I never really wore my UGGsUGGs again, and I thought it was just one of those things everyone agreed to leave in the past:a fad. Until late October of 2020, when all of a sudden, just like that, UGGs were back in. I ran to my closet, pulled my UGGs out of their four plus years of hibernation and immediately introduced them into my shoe rotation.
Unfortunately for me, long UGGs were no longer in, but they were replaced by shorter styles, such as the Classic Mini’s and the Classic Ultra Mini’s. Thus ensued the viral Tik Tok trend of UGG owners cutting up their old boots as opposed to spending $150 on a new pair of UGGs. Personally, I opted for the roll and cuff method, where I rolled down the top half of my boots, exposing the wool and achieving a similar look to the trending shorter styles of boots.
So what caused the resurfacing of Uggs? I think it’s better to ask who, and my answer to that would be Emma Chamberlain. Earlier that October, Emma Chamberlain had posted a photo onto her pinterest of her wearing UGG boots and yoga pants/ “flared leggings.” I’ve scoured the internet for examples of influencers and celebrities wearing UGGs between now and when the trend first went dormant a few years ago, and Emma seems to be the first.
Today, UGGs have drifted from this “middle school-chic” identity, and are being associated with celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid in an “off-duty model” sense. The UGG obsession started as a “choosing comfort over style” sort of situation but when everyone chooses comfort over style, comfort becomes style.
All this aside, the UGG brand has been doing pretty well for itself. With collaborations with big name designers such as Bape and Telfar, UGGs aren't going anywhere. The UGG brand stretches far beyond footwear, selling items such as clothing, bedding and bookbags. Though UGGs have clearly been able to make a comeback in the past, I can’t say I can envision a world where UGGs ever fall off again.
Image courtesy of Haben Fessehazion.