New Zealand's first Crocs shoe shop, on Broadway in Newmarket, offers more than 40 styles. Photo / Martin Sykes
They are brightly coloured and rubbery and have been labelled a fashion abomination. They even have a website dedicated to their elimination.
But Crocs, like some sort of contagious disease, have spread around the globe and are here to stay.
New Zealand's first Crocs store has opened in
Newmarket. It is devoted entirely to Crocs and sells more than 40 different styles, ranging from the original Crocs to wedge and jandal styles.
Prices range between $40 and $60 and the shoes come in an array of bright colours including yellows, pinks, oranges and greens.
Crocs manager Steph Redhill said business had been fantastic since the store opened.
"You get mixed signals about the shoes. A lot of people are curious. Some schoolgirls will go, 'Crocs are disgusting', but generally the response has been very good."
She said the woman's flat ballet shoe in black had been the biggest seller so far.
And comfort overrides any ugly factor. "Comfort is driving people to buy them. When I first saw them I thought they were hideous, but once people get them on their feet they forget how they look."
She said cheaper imitations sold at some stores were inferior in quality.
Crocs were designed in Colorado in 2002 originally as a boating/outdoor shoe and came to New Zealand in 2005. They are particularly popular with hospital workers.
But Crocs aren't everybody's cup of tea. A website called ihatecrocs.com is "dedicated to the elimination of Crocs and those who think that their excuses for wearing them are viable".
Fourteen-year-old Georgia Wallace, who was walking past the new store with a friend, said the design of the Crocs was a bit off.
"I don't like them because they are yuck. They are quite nice colours but personally I wouldn't wear them."
She said none of her friends wore them. "They are comfortable but not fashionable."
Leigh Saul, who comes from South Africa, was in the shop yesterday with her husband, who was trying on different Crocs, and she loves them.
She bought some jandal Crocs two weeks ago.
"They are so comfortable," she said. "It feels like you are walking on air. They aren't ugly, they are cool and trendy.
"For Kiwis it's coming from a different slant. Most Kiwis are into black and brown," she said of the bright colours.
