Fleece-lined sheepskin boots called uggs have been popular since at least World War I, when Australian fighter pilots wore the comfy footwear while flying with their British counterparts in Europe and the Middle East. In the 1930s, Australian sheep shearers favored uggs, and by the 1960s Australian surfers had discovered the rough-and-tumble boots (uggs, some say, is short for “ugly”) as the perfect antidote to cold toes after a bracing bout in the waves.
All of which made it more than a bit galling to Australian ugg-makers such as Blue Mountains, Mortel’s, and Uggs-N-Rugs when, in 2003, they received a cease-and-desist warning from a U.S. manufacturer that claimed ownership of the ugg brand. Three years later, a court ruled that the U.S. firm could, indeed, do business as UGG Australia, but that Australian boot-makers could continue to call their sheepskin boots uggs, as they had been doing for decades.
The first uggs were soft-soled, formed of two pieces of sheepskin sewn together down the center of the boot. In the 1970s, Uggs-N-Rugs added a hard sole to the shoe and a molded stitched-in heel. This is the version that is most prevalent today...
Pamela Anderson upped the ugg’s profile in the United States when she took to wearing the leg-warming footwear between takes of the television show “Baywatch.” Kate Hudson and Sienna Miller are just a few of the other actresses who have made what had been a casual man’s boot into a must-have fashion accessory for women.
In no small part, UGG Australia gets the credit for the boot’s popularization among women. One of its hottest styles is a version whose Pepto-Bismol pink New Zealand shearling fur is exposed on the boot’s exterior, with soft flannel inside to keep the feet warm.
Other examples feature elaborate, “girly” embroidery on the outsides of the boots; tall, above-the-calf versions in chocolate, tomato, or black; and horizontally striped boots made of cable-knit fabric, which look a lot like socks with rubber souls.
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Recent News: Ugg Boots
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New Ugg Boots Store to Open in Melbourne
SBWire (press release), May 13thMelbourne, Victoria -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/13/2013 -- Lovers of all things Ugg can rejoice as a brand new Ugg boot store is set to open in Melbourne. This is great news for men, women and children who are all looking to slip their feet into something...Read more
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The Frisky, May 7thUggs: They are a fashion monster, and yet, many people swear by their comfort. But teens and pre-teens at one Philadelphia-area middle school won't be allowed to wear them anymore, either way. That's because officials at Pottsdown Middle School feel...Read more
Not since Tom Brady's Uggs ...
ESPN (blog), May 3rdAnother year, another Jets quarterback competition. With so many familiar storylines coming out of the locker room this spring, it not a surprise that the item getting the majority of the criticism in the wake of the Jets' media availability yesterday...Read more
Uggs Are More Popular Than You Think & More Fun Facts From Beso's Shoe ...
Huffington Post, April 24thA new shoe survey conducted by Beso.com reveals that more than a quarter of you own a pair of Uggs. As part of a partnership with Racked in honor of Shoe Week, Beso polled over 6,750 people to determine that data and other interesting info on how...Read more
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Daily Mail, April 23rdDressed down, yet still delightful: Cameron Diaz emerges from trailer in tracksuit pants and Uggs... but is positively glowing with full hair and make-up. By Daily Mail Reporter. PUBLISHED: 21:03 EST, 23 April 2013 | UPDATED: 01:57 EST, 24 April 2013...Read more
Built To Fail: Long-Term Business Model Companies Supported By Fad Products
Seeking Alpha, April 23rdThere are three factors that point to the end of the UGGs fashion fad: the rejection of UGGs across style blogs and fashion shows, the decline in UGGs brand revenue, and the buildup of inventory at the company. UGGs were a hot item over the last few...Read more
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