The Ugly Shoe Is Not Going Anywhere, And Millenials Need To Make Peace With It

Birkenstock, which has always been associated with old white men, hippies, and nerds who wear socks with sandals, doubles its sales every year, and all they essentially had to do to get there was add some colours (and cross a few straps) to their existing set of designs. As per Forbes, it sold 24 million pairs worldwide in 2019, and that number is expected to be higher now, since the brand has taken up decisions to increase reach in countries like India.

But this trend is not limited to one brand. Chanel, arguably the most prestigious luxury brand in the world, has incorporated a strappy sandals style in every single one of their collections in 2022. The style has been dubbed by fashion watchers as the ‘dad sandals’. Need we say more?

As high street brands often do, they have followed suit. From Gucci, Prada, Chloe, Dior, and Fendi, to Charles & Keith, JW Anderson, Valentino, and even much more affordable options in Adidas, Marks & Spencer, and Zara – sandals have taken over everything. They’re being worn with dresses and athleisure alike, and what’s more surprising (and reassuring) is that it is now acceptable to do so, without having one’s fashion sensibilities questioned.

How did we go from idolising Carrie Bradshaw who strutted and sprinted across New York City in visibly uncomfortable 6-inch heels to refusing anything that doesn’t provide comfort first? And dare I say – to a point where the ‘comfortable shoe’ has become an aesthetic in and of itself. Case in point, the Nike Air Max range, which is considered ‘fashionable’ now, but was widely recommended by doctors and fitness instructors for its innovative technology when it came to the padding in the sole; and Crocs dropping 'hype' collections, which essentially means people line up and sign up for online raffles to cop a pair of limited edition crocs – who would have thought? New Balance, which was widely written off as old-fashioned, Dad-sneakers, (fun fact: formerly known as the New Balance Arch Support Company) went from $3.5 billion in sales in 2020, to projecting $7 billion in 2023, aiming for an aggressive year-on-year growth of 10%. But, really, the crown of the ugly, hyped shoe goes to the Yeezy Foam Runner and White Cloud, the newest drop that comes with Ye’s stamp of approval. Ye’s Yeezy’s grossed $1.7 billion in 2020, and a single drop contains 40,000 pieces only (Kanye revealed in 2016, numbers could be more now). The question that begs to be asked is, what changed?

A clear marker of increase in the popularity of the modern day ugly shoe (and most things that cater more to comfort than aesthetic) was the pandemic. Isolation forced us all to rethink the way we consume, and paying the price for aesthetics with comfort became an irrational choice. We shifted from jeans and trousers to leggings and sweats, from hoarding makeup to investing in skin care or self care, and buying shoes that we could actually walk in when we would finally be able to. But not just that, the Gen Z is also an important customer segment for all brands. And they have, over and over again, rejected everything that the older millennial generation related with. To a point where practically nothing and everything has the potential to be a fashion trend, as long as one feels comfortable, which can have many meanings.

However, even in that context, it remains true that fashion that caters to comfort has always been a part of street culture, which is influenced by, and majorly belongs to the African-American community. What is true for both Gen Z and Millennials is that both generations have continually borrowed the street aesthetic from its origins. The recent rise in streetwear, and the ‘ugly’ aesthetic – in all its forms, from colour blocking to oversized fits – has always existed as a subculture.

It also helps that a series of targeted collaborations unfolded very well for these brands that were written off as boring and orthopaedic to their core. Whether it is Birkenstock’s collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, or Crocs dropping platform clogs with Balenciaga, or Adidas teaming up with the likes of Kanye West and Stella McCartney, the crossover of luxury and high-street grabs eyeballs and drives results. In a society where everyone wants to grab a piece of luxury, culture percolates from top down to find its way into the mainstream. It is a different thing what it says about our mindset as consumers, but what is for sure is that it cemented the positioning of these brands in the mainstream, and renewed their lease as ‘fashionable’ comfort.

When I asked a Birkenstock and Crocs loyalist, and 23-year-old active consumer of high-street fashion why she chooses to wear the same pair almost every day, her answer resonated with logic and simplicity. “I don’t think you buy a pair of Birkenstock for the aesthetic of it, at least that is how I thought of it initially. It was an investment in my comfort and general well-being. But, over a period of time you start feeling like it goes with everything. Now I’m at a point where I can wear it with a dress also, proudly, because it is just that comfortable. There is simply no second thought, because the idea that it won’t look as good ranks much lower than the comfort points it gives. That being said, the style grows on you. I even wear it with my ethnic clothes now. It is not that it is not versatile, but our views on fashion are limited.”

The “Ugly Shoe” is now manifesting itself into styles that are fit for winter, in the form of chunky loafers and fur-lined ‘dad sandals’ even though it is, notoriously, the season of heeled and thigh-high boots. Over the next few years, as Gen Z becomes the more overpowering consuming segment of the market, it will be interesting to see what new forms the ugly shoes will take, but it is safe to say that it is not going anywhere, any time soon.