They were almost forgotten…

How Crocs Made Plastic Clogs Into Fashion Icons

When it comes to fashion in the Murray household, I’m not the expert (that title belongs to Ari, OFC).

She hasn’t let me wear them yet, but we were discussing Crocs and it’s a wild story. 

Do you know how a shoe once considered a war crime by the style elite become a ~$5 billion brand with a chokehold on Gen Z?

Let’s break down the Crocs comeback and what Marketers can learn from it.

The year is 2002.

Eminem is dominating the charts, Blockbuster is still alive, and people are wearing low-rise jeans UNIRONICALLY.

Amidst all that chaos, 3 friends, Scott Seamans, Lyndon “Duke” Hanson, and George Boedecker Jr., are about to change fashion history… with the ugliest shoe imaginable.Inspired by a slip-resistant clog made by a Canadian company called Foam Creations, they saw potential in a weird, ultra-comfy piece of footwear most people wouldn’t be caught dead in.

So they licensed the design, slapped their own spin on it, and launched their 1st model named “The Beach” at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show (because where else would you debut a bold fashion statement?).

IN 1 DAY, all 200 pairs sold out.

It wasn’t hype. It wasn’t influencer seeding. It was pure, foam-molded, vent-holed, anti-style comfort.

Nobody knew what to make of them. While they were meant to be boat shoes, they could also be garden clogs, or the shoes you wear out to the car when your mom needs help with groceries. 

But the category didn’t matter. They felt too good for anyone to care.

This was just the start. 

By 2006, Crocs had gone public under the (AWESOME) ticker, $CROX. By 2007, they were pulling in around $850 MILLION a year. The weird little clog had gone mainstream, powered not by fashionistas, but by chefs, nurses, and everyday people who just wanted their feet to stop hurting.

But the foam-crafted gravy train wouldn’t last forever.

After years of overexpansion, bloated inventory, and a financial crisis that kneecapped demand, Crocs was on the ropes. Between 2008 and 2013, the company laid off employees, closed stores, and watched its stock price tank.

The quirky clog looked destined for the clearance bin of fashion history.

Then came a turning point.

In late 2013, private equity firm Blackstone invested $200 million in $CROX (which, again, is a DOPE ticker), and brought in L.E.K. Consulting to develop a turnaround strategy.

And that turnaround was named Andrew Rees.

A Brit with a chemistry degree and a resume that stretched from Laura Ashley to Reebok, Rees was leading L.E.K.’s retail and consumer business when Crocs came knocking.

Pretty quickly, he impresses the board and they name him President in 2014.

3 years later, he became CEO.

This is where the turnaround starts.

Rees slashed the product catalog, cut deadweight inventory, and closed hundreds of underperforming stores.

His strategy? Go back to the core.

Not reinvention, but REFOCUS.

So Rees doubled down on the1 product that made Crocs famous in the 1st place: the classic clog.

And once the foundation was reset… he got weird with it.

PUT IT IN PRACTICE Let your winners ride.  Crocs didn’t need a total brand overhaul. They just needed clarity. Rees came in, cut the noise, and centered the brand around one thing: the Classic Clog. Here’s your homework: Find your Classic Clog and double down it.  Cut the extras. Simplify the pitch. Build your brand around what already works. Focus isn’t flashy, but it scales. Just ask Crocs.

Under Rees’ leadership, Crocs became a collaboration machine dropping custom clogs with Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Balenciaga, 7-Eleven, McDonald’s, even Shrek.

Crocs was putting themselves back into the cultural conversation, 1 collab at a time.

Then the pandemic hits and things get EVEN WEIRDER.

Suddenly, the world is working from home, comfort is king, and nobody’s wearing real shoes anymore.

For Crocs, it was the perfect storm.

Sales surged, stock prices soared, and people started posting their Crocs collections on TikTok like they were sneakers.

But Crocs never forgot their roots.

The brand had long been a quiet staple for healthcare workers like nurses, doctors, hospital staff or any people who were on their feet for 12+ hours a day.

So in 2020, while the rest of the world was panic-buying sweatpants, Crocs launched the “Free Pair for Healthcare” program, giving away over 860,000 pairs to frontline workers during the height of the pandemic. 

It wasn’t just good PR. It was sticking by the people who had stuck by them from the beginning. 

And with that new goodwill, by the time the world started opening back up, Crocs weren’t just back.

They were bigger than ever.

Now was the time to step on the gas.

In 2021, Crocs acquired HEYDUDE for $2.5 billion. If you haven’t seen them before, they’re basically soul brothers with Crocs. 

They’re a stretchy, laid-back slip-on brand with zero fashion cred and MASSIVE growth.The acquisition was a no brainer.

Where Crocs owned the foam clog lane, HEYDUDE was quietly dominating casual slip-ons in the South and Midwest.

Crocs is no longer making a comeback.

They’re building a fashion comfort empire.

MARKETING CHEAT SHEET (WHAT TO LEARN FROM THIS STORY):

1️⃣. Don’t Reinvent. Refocus: When Crocs was drowning in SKUs and stale storefronts, they didn’t start from scratch. They trimmed the fat and bet the house on what already worked: the Classic Clog. That one product had done the heavy lifting. They just needed to give it the spotlight. If your brand is spread too thin, don’t chase shiny new ideas. Double down on your winner and build the brand around it. Focus isn’t flashy, but it scales.

2️⃣. Don’t Forget Your Day-1s: While the world was living in sweatpants, Crocs gave away over 860,000 pairs to healthcare workers. The same folks who wore their clogs long before it was cool. It wasn’t just a PR play. It was loyalty in action. If you want lifelong customers, you better act like a lifelong brand. The best marketing move? Show up when it matters most.

3️⃣. Get Weird on Purpose: Crocs didn’t just randomly go viral — they engineered their way back into the cultural convo. Post Malone, Shrek, 7-Eleven… These weren’t safe bets. They were smart, on-brand chaos. That’s the move: lean into your weird. Make the thing only your brand could make. When you stop playing it safe, you give people something to talk about. And in a crowded market, attention > perfection.

MEME OF THE WEEK