Those sheepskin boots we all remember as the hype of the 2000s are making a comeback. While you may have thought Uggs had fazed out by the end of the aughts, the company was actually using this downtime as an opportunity to rebrand them by incorporating modern fashion styles.
Last September, Bella Hadid gave us a tease of what would become the boot’s key to fame: she was caught walking in Ugg’s Ultra Mini Platform boots. The image caught fire on TikTok, prompting a 152% increase in searches for these Uggs and later selling out, according to Lyst. But we can’t just give Hadid credit for starting this trend. Dua Lipa, Kendall Jenner, and Gigi Hadid, among other icons were caught sporting the coveted shoe too.
However, celebrities aren’t the only reason for Ugg’s resurgence. Besides the obvious reason of nostalgia, according to an article from Elle, “it’s all about comfort.” They’re easier to walk in compared to high heels and there’s no worrying about being left with angry red blisters in a matter of hours. At the same time, you get to travel around showing off a chic look.
“Shortening the length of the cut and adding a thick platform to it felt fresh and like the perfect way to bring Ugg into the present moment,” Vogue said of Helene Frain’s—vice president of Ugg’s footwear design—commentary on Ugg’s remodeling.
This is just one of Ugg’s several innovations the brand recently came out with. This past year, Ugg partnered up with other fashion designers, including Telfar Clemens and Shayne Oliver, to give the classic boots a different style. Clemens created a logo design for the shoe while Oliver gave them a futuristic Armourite look. Ugg also collaborated with a skate brand, Palace, to give the classic Ugg boots a lightning bolt pattern.
“Collaborations are incredibly important for the future,” said Frain. “They provide a way to look at the brand in a completely fresh and different way.”
Now, it’s reasonable for you to believe that despite all of these rebranding strategies, Uggs will soon become a thing of the past—again. However, Ugg plans to prevent this possibility by expanding its wardrobe into handbags and clothing. The brand also wants to continue its focus on fashion sustainability with Uggrenew, a program that allows you to refurbish a pair of used Uggs.
With all these changes Ugg’s made, you probably wouldn’t be surprised if they came out with a sleek sneaker or stiletto. While that would be interesting, Ugg plans to remain faithful to its classic boot. “When we put a product out, we really want it to feel right,” said Frain. “We don’t want to be trying too hard or to be phony.”