Ugg boots have been among the most popular items on holiday wish lists for more than a decade. Uggs have a strange ability to inspire both loyalty and flat-out hatred. The seemingly innocent furry, funny-looking, comfortable, slipper-like Ugg boot is probably the most polarizing shoe in the world. And popular: Uggs make news, from stories about busting counterfeit Ugg makers to “US Middle School bans Uggs.” An Ugg Google search shows 19,800,000 results, almost a quarter of the results for “Nike.” Wow, that’s huge! Not a single big name sponsor either.
Here’s a blog post that has it both ways–admiration and a dis: “When a man wears Uggs, he’s making a statement – the statement being, ‘I am deeply, profoundly, secure in my masculinity.’ So much so, you can’t help but respect him. After, of course, you laugh at his terrible choice in footwear.” The death of the Ugg was predected in 2012, too, as sales fell off. Yet that same year the Ugg brand did worldwide sales of over $1 billion. And the Ugg has come back again. It was absolutely freezing last winter all over the place–perfect for the Ugg wearer. Sales were up 9.7% again, according to the Huffington Post, which titled an article last spring: Why Ugg Boots Will Never Go Away. Sorry haters. Here to stay.
