The Ugg boot – From Aussie Icon to Celebrity Fashion
The Ugg boot – From Aussie Icon to Celebrity Fashion
If your name is Debbie, Sharon or Tracey, chances are you moved through the 70’s and early 80’s as an ugg boot wearing teen.
You had them knee high with your stretch denim wranglers tucked in and you wore them on special occasions. Occasions like taking a ride in your boyfriends shaggin’ wagon at 18 or standing at the corner of the local shop with a cigarette hanging from your lips at 16.
Ugg boots rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, and all signs point to a bright future for these furry feet warmers.
Their most popular rise was seen in 1981, and while the 70s and 80s saw the advent and rise of this footwear, they have recently enjoyed a resurgence with an ever-increasing popularity. Ugg boots are now a household name in Australia and are considered a popular fashion icon.
Ugg boots are a unisex style of sheepskin boot that originated in Australia and New Zealand. The boots are made from twin-faced sheepskin with a fleece interior.
As Ugg boots became popular in Australia, by the 1970s we saw their appearance in California surf magazines. Soon after, several surf shops started stocking uggs that sold extremely well, contributing to their popularity.
Competitive surfers are often seen wearing Ugg boots, but you will find them most commonly adorning the feet of your average Joe.
In more recent time, Ugg Boots have been re-branded and brought online by brands like Ugg Express. The results have been soaring sales and a resurgence in these quirky boots.
Celebrities endorse them as well. From Sienna Miller to Gigi Hadid, Liv Tyler, and Heidi Klum, uggs are coming back into fashion in Hollywood, and we are certain that their popularity will only rise in the years to come.
Ugg boots are primarily an Australian fashion quirk, though they have become hugely popular in Europe and Japan as well.
Soon after Ugg boots appeared on the scene, the movie theaters in Sydney banned the footwear along with ripped jeans due to their connection with a rebellious youth culture.
Today, however, sheepskin footwear accounts for about 10 percent of the total footwear in Australia.
The Western Australian manufacturer, Country Road, advertised the uggs to distributors in 1978, and this is when uggs became comfortable and even more popular.
In 1994, the Australian winter Olympics Team wore Ugg Boots as part of their away uniform, sparking new interest and in some places an ugg boot craze.
Despite their comical past, ugg boot aficionados will tell you that once you put them on, you’ll never want to take them off.
Along with the genuine article, ugg boots have also had their imitators and counterfeits. A problem arose in Australia a few years ago with non-genuine uggs made from synthetics.
Companies selling fake uggs have even had legal action levelled against them. The fake uggs made the lives of those who purchased them miserable and put many companies in jeopardy.
Ugg boots cannot be beaten for the warmth they provide, and so the uggs industry has flourished, and it will continue to do so throughout the coming years.
Image Credits: Used with Permission Fashion Tag/Style Profile
