Remember when Crocs — colourful and clunky plastic clogs featuring ventilator holes — were considered a fashion crime? These days, the so-called “ugly-cool” sandals are worn by everyone from Nicki Minaj (featuring Chanel charms, no less) to Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. After this year’s Love Island contestants were seen flaunting the shoes, there has reportedly been over a 1000% spike in demand for Crocs.
While the Love Islanders’ outfits have always caught the attention of viewers, with fans eager to create the contestants’ often very sexy summer looks, Crocs have been a more sensible style choice in the villa. Instead of sky-scraper high-heeled sandals, some of the contestants have been rocking their multi-coloured Crocs with their poolside looks, and, to be fair, they look very comfortable.
Per Heatworld, shoe store The Sole Supplier saw the demand for ‘lilac crocs’ spike by ‘950%’ after Chuggs was spotted wearing a pair by the fire pit. When Love Island favourite Faye wore a white pair on the reality show, the store reported a “324% spike in searches for ‘white crocs’.” If that’s not a sure sign that Crocs have officially been embraced by the UK, Google has reportedly witnessed a “300% increase for searches on Google,” the publication reports.
The Croc trend has been witnessed in the US too, with American teens championing the brand on TikTok. Per, the Washington Post, Crocs had a “pandemic boost” as sales “skyrocketed” especially when the likes of Justin Bieber partnered with the brand.
Despite their growing popularity, Crocs are still dividing Love Island fans. On Twitter, one Love Island fan tweeted, “stoked that crocs have made it into the loveisland villa,” meanwhile, another said “Love island – stop trying to make crocs happen… it’s never going to happen.”
Still, if you’re thinking of dipping your toe into the polarising trend, I’ve found a few pairs that may turn heads.
