“What are those things in your shoes?”
That’s a question that Crocs wearers hear daily.
For those who are unfamiliar with these charms, they are called: Jibbitz.
And, whether you’re a sneaker enthusiast or not you’ve probably seen all sorts of them before.
Crocs are a favorite amongst anyone who’s ever needed a comfortable shoe — it’s part clog, part slipper, and fun to decorate.
During the pandemic, Crocs experienced a resurgence that saw them being covered in multiple publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Their ascent was attributed to how in tune they are with Gen Z & the authenticity of their TikTok.
That’s all true, but it’s NOT the entire story.
A huge part of Crocs climb back to the mountain top is really their
Collaborations.
Go to the Crocs website and you’ll see an endless amount of collabs from Justin Bieber to SZA.
And although pop culture does a good job covering the big ones, the interesting (and most relevant imho) are the ones that are central to Hip-Hop.
How else could you convince a Gen X Hip-Hop head to wear shoes that are popular amongst Gen Z/Alpha and nurses?
You probably couldn’t.
Luckily, Crocs can reach those consumers because of Hip-hop. But before we get there, let’s set the stage.
Y’all know what’s next, let’s get it…
BACK IN 2002…
Scott Seamans, Lyndon Hanson, and George Boedecker were on a boating trip in Colorado, USA. Scott was wearing a pair of non-slip boating shoes made by Foam Creations and the technology fascinated him — so much so that the trio purchased patent from them with the goal of making a foam clog designed for boating and outdoor activities.
After the first 200 shoes sold out at the Fort Lauderdale boat show, they knew they struck gold. Eventually, the shoes became popular in the mid-2000s, and by 2009, Crocs became a billion-dollar company within three years.
Since then, they’ve expanded their product line to include sandals, loafers, and boots, and even accessories like the aforementioned Jibbitz
All of this brings us to central point of today’s piece:
How exactly did Crocs get such a stronghold culturally?
I. Salehe Bembury Brought The Swag
“We exist in a landscape of ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ collaborations, so the value lies in long-term relationships and that’s what we’ve established,” – Salehe Bembury, Footwear News
Salehe Bembury is one of the most sought-after footwear designers of this generation, and incredibly instrumental to the current landscape of footwear.
After getting his start working with Cole Haan, Bembury moved on to become a designer with Yeezy and eventually became the head of Sneaker Design at Versace.
Following his time at Versace, Salehe collabed with New Balance on a few designs, and in 2021 he was appointed as the creative director of the Pollex Pod Crocs collection.
With Crocs on a mission to make inroads with different consumers & combat their “ugly shoe” reputation, it made perfect sense that they would reach out to one of the hottest designers out there.
The strength of the partnership was clear in that the shoes sold out in mere minutes.
II. Nicki Minaj Made Them Go Viral
In the same year as Bembury’s stint at Crocs, Nicki Minaj made her return to Instagram to announce a new song would be arriving the Friday following her post.
For as shocking as her nude picture might’ve been, fans eyes were instantly drawn to the shoes on her feet: Pink Crocs bedazzled with diamond Chanel Jibbitz.
Nicki Minaj’s picture instantly went viral, the Crocs website crashed, and their Pink shoes sold out immediately.
In fact, Sole Supplier UK even stated that Nicki’s co-sign led to a 4,900% increase in sales for Crocs — something I’d imagine they hadn’t seen with prior partnerships.
Though it wasn’t an official collab, Nicki said she had no idea her photo would cause the spike. And since then, you’ll see Nicki Minaj occasionally wearing Crocs and the Barbs in full support.
III. Post Malone Kicked Off The “Collab” trend
Crocs tapped Post Malone in 2018 to put his spin on their iconic clog. As far as I can tell, it was the first of their Hip-Hop-leaning collabs. Like traditional shoe drops, the Post Malone Clogs sold out almost immediately.
In fact, the collection was such a success that Post and Crocs collaborated again in 2020 on the Duet Max II.
This time around though, the partnership included combo packs like the PostyCo Pink & Black packs. Each pack included Jibbitz that resembled Post’s tattoos.
IV. Dreamville Brought in the New Gen of Hip-hop Heads
“When you then add these being available in Amazon stores, Dreamville can really expand our reach and impact more fans than ever before.”
– Raeana Anaïs, Director of Design for Dreamville Apparel, Rolling Stone
In April, Dreamville was set to host their annual Dreamville festival. As the date got closer, the good folks over at Dreamville announced an unexpected collaboration:
Through press they revealed that Dreamville had its own variations of Crocs coming out along with custom Jibbitz for people to buy.
On top of that, Raeana’s quote above this section further cements that Dreamville was committed to giving fans something that was accessible and easy to afford. It also confirmed what fans already know about Cole too: He’s a fan of Crocs
Don’t just take my word for it though, check out this pic of Cole wearing crocs during a recent performance:
V. Wu-Tang Brought The Old School Hip-Hop Heads
Wu-Tang Clan are no stranger to the apparel world having had their own clothing line in the 90s and in 2022 on the heels of announcing their joint tour with Nas, they announced a partnership with Crocs as well.
The collaboration included Black and Yellow clogs, and slippers as well as custom Wu-Tang Jibbitz including the iconic Wu logo.
Knowing that Crocs were popular amongst younger demos, this collab was able to bring in older generations of Hip-hop heads who are die-hard Wu-Tang fans. To this day, if you go to YouTube you’ll find reviews of the Wu-Tang Croc by Gen X YouTubers — something you’d normally see only with brands like Air Jordans or Adidas.
VI. Rico Nasty Reached Counter-Culture Fans
“I wear Crocs with anything and wore them to New York Fashion Week because I can’t wear heels. It started in high school, everybody was wearing Crocs” – Rico Nasty, Highsnobiety
As the article cover shows, Crocs is continuing with its run of partnerships by also tapping Rico Nasty who’s known for following the beat of her own drum. Her vibe is very punk and with the recent resurgence of dad shoes/ugly shoes it only makes sense that they would reach out to an artist who represents counter-culture at their core.
The result of the partnership? Dopeness.
SO, WHAT NOW?
Crocs is still going strong, and recently announced that they were extending their partnership with Salehe Bembury for another two years!
I’m sure there will be a ton more collaborations on the way, as evidenced by the work they’ve done with Dreamville.
Knowing that celebs from all walks of life embrace Crocs and the comfortable, low maintenance vibes they give off, it wouldn’t be surprising for Hip-hop take this brand to even higher heights.
Sidenote: Crocs had some joints with BEAMS that were kinda dope. Might see if I can snag them off of StockX. Ya never know.
Peace.
