The category “ugly shoes” has become a bigger entity than ever before since the launch of Balenciaga’s Triple S in 2017. But many of the “ugly shoes” of the world predate the Triple S by years, and were reserved for outdoorsy, green-fingered rambling people who’d pair said shoes with technical jackets and zip-off pants, utterly unironically.
How times have changed. Because today, the world can’t get enough of questionably-designed footwear. As Esquire claims, “We’re in the midst of the Crocs renaissance,” a shoe that was never cool or fashionable. Since 2019 Crocs have become all the rave, delivering collaborations with Bad Bunny, BEAMS, and more.
Since the global coronavirus pandemic has consumed our day-to-day life, “ugly shoes” that are functional, comfortable, and dare we say, fashionable, have taken over. Did you want a pair of Birkenstocks all of a sudden? There are more of these functional, fashionable, comfortable, practical, affordable shoes than ever before (or at least ones we think we’d like to wear). Merrell’s Hydro Moc is selling out, and not because we all suddenly want to go walking through water, but because it’s genuinely cool. GQ and The Wall Street Journal have even cosigned the style.