Are Crocs back for Christmas? David Hockney and Stormzy are fronting the ugly footwear staple

Try as you may to deny it, this ugly fashion trend isn’t going anyway any time soon
Stormzy and David Hockney are the latest celebs to be seen rocking their Crocs
BBC/Getty
Maddy Mussen1 December 2022

Ah, Crocs. Once designed solely for your mum to slip on before taking out the bins, the strange, perforated pumps are now promoted by the likes of Justin Bieber, Questlove and Elliot Page, have been worn on the red carpet and even forged a collaboration with Balenciaga. And who could have guessed that, at the time of writing, Crocs’ brand would be the stronger of the two?

What would have once been considered the most embarrassing, shameful thing to gift a teenager for Christmas might actually be topping the gift guides this year, as Crocs’ resurgence continues to thrive. Just this week, David Hockney wore a bright yellow pair to greet King Charles and Stormzy donned a more muted brown Croc for his appearance on BBC Breakfast.

The Croc comeback was initiated in 2016, when Christopher Kane released a Crocs collaboration for his London Fashion Week SS17 show, to much derision. At the time, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide and people remained largely unconvinced.

But still, Kane had laid the groundwork. Then Demna built the foundations. The Balenciaga creative director became the next to debut a Crocs collab in 2017, this time switching it up by adding a heel and custom Balenciaga Jibbitz (Jibbitz are the name for those little Croc charms you can use to plug the holes, in case you didn’t know).

Actress Yinka Bokinni wearing Balenciaga Crocs at the premiere for her film “Bullet Train” in July this year
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

The Balenciaga Crocs collab did also suffer its fair share of online mockery, but this time the laughter translated to sales, and they sold out before they’d even hit the shelves at Barney’s.

Fashion commentator and stylist Jess Doolan first clocked the rise of Crocs when working as a style assistant for a Sports Direct TV advert in early 2020: “I saw loads of people were wearing them but styled super well with matching tracksuits,” she says. “At this point I saw how they were starting to bridge their way into the creative industries and around a year later everyone was wearing them. Often people within the fashion sphere are wearing things for comfort or durability but then it trickles down into mainstream fashion – you never see a stylist wearing anything other than sweats and comfy footwear.”

Justin Bieber wearing Croc-esque Balenciaga shoes to the 2022 Grammys
Getty Images for The Recording A

Doolan’s timing is right: 2020 became the year of Crocs supremacy. It all happened amidst the pandemic, when the very nature of fashion came under threat. According to Bloomberg, US fashion footwear sales slumped 27 per cent in 2020, yet sales of clogs surged 33 per cent. And despite everyone’s judgement that Crocs’ comeback would be a flash in the pan – it was not.

Then came the supermodels. Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber were both seen loving their Crocs, unabashed. Next, the rappers and the singers: Post Malone, Justin Bieber. And finally, by 2022, Crocs have walked the floors of Buckingham Palace and the set of BBC Breakfast.

Doolan says the calibre of celebs seen rocking their Crocs is exactly what made their popularity go mainstream: “I’m surprised they’ve lasted [popularity-wise] because most fashion trends are a fad, however they have definitely gone from micro to macro trend. The marketing surrounding Crocs really helped them to grow, gifting and using in influencers in their campaigns meant that ‘ordinary folk’ saw them as affluent rather than a joke.”

You can’t discount the comfort effect, of course. People aren’t just wearing Crocs for vibes alone. The pandemic encouraged us to favour feeling good over looking good, so comfy Crocs thrived. This reason is likely to be what influenced Stormzy’s footwear decision this morning, more so than an active fashion statement – after all, the last time he turned up to BBC Breakfast, he wore a pair of slippers.

David Hockney looking swish in his Crocs during a meeting with King Charles last Thursday
Getty Images

But the endorsement could mean a lot for Crocs, even if he is just wearing them for podiatric purposes: “I rate it,” Doolan says. “Stormzy is known for being uber cool and this has opened up a whole new market for Crocs, one that traditionally only wears trainers. Breaking into different sub cultures is how a brand thrives and stays relevant.”

The comfort rationale could also apply to 85-year-old David Hockney’s Crocs outing, but a) the man infamously hates anything health and wellness related and b) didn’t exactly opt for a subtle colour choice. Crocs’ weirdness gives them the ability to act as a fashion statement while also going easy on the feet, hence why they’re increasingly accepted at red carpet events – Questlove wore them to both the 2021 and 2022 Oscars.

Questlove at the 2021 Oscars with his Oscar-esque Crocs
Getty Images

However, it’s important to note Crocs’ prominence on the red carpet (and in the homes of our monarchy) is skewed slightly male. “I’m a firm believer that we accept informal menswear a lot more than womenswear,” Doolan notes. “We still uphold women to [the standard of] wearing heels and skin tight dresses which is wrong. I wanna see more women wearing crocs in high places!”

So, it might sound sacrilegious, but perhaps its time to opt for a Croc to pair with your party dress this festive season. After all, why should we let the men have all the fun?

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