Everyone has heard about uggs - soft sheepskin boots. To date, they are confidently leading the list of the best-selling shoes in the world, and just a couple of years ago, Footwear News recognized the UGG brand as “Brand of the Year”.
These suede boots are slightly awkward, but at the same time extremely comfortable. They have come a long way to success and therefore fully deserve their popularity.
Boots are scary but comfortable
Australian shepherds invented ugg boots. Having created these boots with soft soles, they used them for various kinds of agricultural work. Outside, uggs were covered with porous suede, inside there was sheepskin. As a result, it was neither cold nor hot in these shoes, the boots perfectly adjusted to the temperature conditions of the environment. That's just their appearance was rated not as highly as the quality. Almost immediately, these shoes received the name "Ugly boots" ("Terrible boots"), which, in the end, was reduced to the word familiar to us - uggs (uggs).
From pastures to boutiques
Australian workers weren't the only ones who enjoyed using ugg boots. They were also chosen by pilots of World Wars I and II, whose feet began to freeze at high altitude. Later, sheepskin boots gained popularity among skiers and windsurfers, and the latter contributed to the start of the boot boom. Or rather, windsurfer Brian Smith, who brought them to the USA for the first time, brought uggs to the masses. He founded Ugg Holdings Inc and registered the UGG Australia brand, and then sold his offspring to the American company Deckers Outdoor Corporation for $15 million.
Ten thousand pounds and three pairs of boots
Brian Smith was not the first to get into the idea of warm boots. Seven years before, another surfer, Shane Steadman, registered the Ugh boots trademark in Australia. Actually, it was Shane who developed the design of sheepskin boots familiar to us today. Later, when Deckers Outdoor Corporation bought the Ugg Australia trademark, they also approached Shane with an offer to buy his business and thus eliminate a competitor. Shane agreed to a deal for £10,000 and three pairs of UGG Australia boots a year for the rest of his life.
Leaders in everything
Deckers Outdoor Corporation produces far more than just ugg boots. Today, the company creates shoes from six different brands - Teva, Simple Shoes, Sanuk, Tsubo, Ahnu and Mozo. Each of these brands has its own peculiarity. So, for example, Mozo is designed for people who spend many hours a day on their feet, and Ahnu is ideal for lovers of hiking and outdoor activities. At the same time, each brand is a leader in its own category. For example, Mozo boots are used by chefs and other culinary workers throughout the United States.
Favorite shoes of stars
Despite the high quality and convenience, uggs would hardly have become so popular if Hollywood celebrities had not contributed to this. So, for example, Oprah Winfrey once bought as many as 350 pairs of sheepskin boots and forced all members of the film crew to wear them. Periodically during her broadcasts, she also mentioned the convenience of these boots. More than once there are uggs in the movies. So, for example, Tom Cruise's character used them as house slippers in the movie Eyes Wide Shut. Well, after the paparazzi managed to photograph Britney Spears, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt walking in uggs, the boom in these shoes was unstoppable.
Favorite shoes of scammers
Uggs are one of the most counterfeited footwear brands in the world today. As soon as they gained popularity, store shelves were flooded with copies. Therefore, it is not surprising that Deckers Outdoor Corporation pays so much attention to various signs of product authenticity. So, for example, a corresponding label is sewn into the left boot of each pair of uggs. If you turn this label upside down, the logo on it will change its color from black to white. The boots of the latest collection even have a label with a 3D effect.
A treasure for all of Australia
Perhaps no other company had to wage such a fierce war for its trademark as Deckers. In the early 2000s, Australian shoe manufacturers formed the Sheepskin Manufacturers Association. Their goal was to prove that “ugg” is the name of a type of product and certainly not a trademark at all. However, in the course of numerous court hearings, the company managed to defend the legality of registering "ugg" as its trademark. Today, no other shoe manufacturer has the right to use this word, and the UGG Australia trademark has already been officially registered in more than one hundred and twenty countries around the world, including the USA, Europe and Asia.
