Gen Z are bringing back Crocs, but will they ever actually be cool?

Crocs are back - but will we actually wear them? Photos / @crocs

OPINION:

Now that we have a little more freedom again here in the UK, I have been enjoying a return to one of my favourite activities: people-watching. Although what I saw this weekend has left me rather disconcerted.

A group of teenage girls were gathered in my local park all wearing some version of the same outfit: a North Face puffer jacket, baggy, cropped jeans and, wait for it, Crocs in a rainbow of different shades, most of them the new platform version which is, evidently, having a moment.

To their Tik-Tok-trained eyes, this get-up must have looked the epitome of cool. But for me, it led to the dawning realisation that I am now basically old, or certainly not young enough to be totally down with this look.

I distinctly remember my mother rolling her eyes at clothes I thought were the height of cool when I was a teenager, whether it was platform trainers, dramatically flared jeans, heels I couldn't walk in or questionable (I now realise) Japanese cartoon T-shirts. Now, here I am at 33, in disbelief that anyone would want to splash £39.99 ($77) (minimum) on two garish lumps of plastic for their feet.

I'm not alone in this view. Last week, Victoria Beckham was so disgusted by a pair of Crocs sent to her by Justin Bieber from his new collaboration with the practical footwear brand that she canvassed her Instagram followers about whether she should wear them: 43 per cent were in favour, but she later revealed she'd "rather die".

Admittedly, it would have been quite a stretch for the woman who seems most at home in six-inch stilettos to embrace the shoes that medics famously love for their wipe-clean properties and comfort during long shifts.

Not that Victoria-gate will be making Crocs executives quake in their clogs. Last week, it reported a record first quarter, with revenues up by 63.6 per cent to £331 million. CEO Andrew Ree said: "Demand for the Crocs brand is stronger than ever with expected 2021 revenue growth of 40 to 50 per cent per cent".

Justin Bieber's heartfelt gift of a pair of bedazzled Crocs wasn't too well received by Victoria Beckham. Photo @victoriabeckham

There was a time when Crocs appeared to have settled into a genteel status as comfy shoes for people who were all about ease and didn't mind if their shoes were a bit ugly. Some even embraced that reputation and used them as the perfect finishing touch to their eclectic outfits; a bold refusal to conform to fashion diktats (see, Helen Mirren).

I'm not sure I've ever tried on a pair either, but a bit like Pringles, I've heard once you start on Crocs, you'll never go back to a standard shoe.

As a friend recently pointed out, this business model is flawed because once everyone who loves Crocs has their ultra-durable pair, there's rarely a reason to upgrade. So bringing more recruits to the cause is essential.

For a while, Crocs tried to gain cool factor via collaborations. Designer Christopher Kane reimagined the classic versions with tie-dye patterns, jewel embellishments and even a mink fur lining.

This haute-irony sparked plenty of debate but it's the genuine adoration for Crocs among the under-25s that is fuelling this new trend. This is a generation that prioritises comfort over glamour and rejects old rules about "flattering" clothing and accessories.

Questlove rocked a pair of gold Crocs on the Oscars red carpet. Photo / Getty Images

They've become swept up in the craze for decorating Crocs with Jibbitz charms and see no reason you'd constrict your feet with anything more fiddly and less supportive (when I put it like that, I see their point) – it's a fact that might be panicking bosses at any business creating high heels: if Crocs are the only shoes you know at 15, what hope do stilettos have later?

The great thing about Gen Z Crocs fans is that they don't seem to give a hoot what refusenik oldies think, walking (comfortably) around with the haughty air of someone who can't be convinced that heels can be "empowering". Justin Bieber is so calm he hasn't even responded to the storm whipped up by Beckham yet.

If you're over 25, fancy giving Crocs a spin and don't care what VB thinks, go for it. You may even like to take inspiration from 50-year-old musician Questlove, who wore gold Crocs on the Oscars red carpet last week. I just can't bring myself to get down with the kids.

Because if there's anything worse than knowing you're too old for a trend, it's making a half-hearted, awkward attempt to do it anyway.