How The "Ugly Shoe" Trend Has Evolved To Become More Popular Than Ever

Now, in 2022, you can get away with just about anything, with Crocs perhaps at the forefront of this. Ripping the childhood favourite away from the clutches of those who purely wore them either for comfort or sheer irony, some of the coolest names in music and fashion are working with Crocs on clog collaborations. Justin Bieber has collaborated with them, as has Japanese streetwear label Beams. Salehe Bembury, who has worked with New Balance on some of the most hyped sneaker designs of the last couple of years, also has his own Croc on the way.

On a slightly more elevated note, mules like Birkenstock's iconic Bostons are finding their way into more and more office-casual fits. The New York Times actually wrote about the rise of the “mulement”, in which a generation of young professionals are embracing the relaxed, yet refined shoe as a low-key statement of luxury and leisure. Dr Martens have even jumped on the bandwagon with the Carlson Mules for those looking for the stability and chunkiness of a Goodyear-welted sole.

Meanwhile, chunkier sandals and slides are having their high fashion moment, as well. This has been particularly prevalent in the womens' space, as fashionable ladies in offices across the land embraced big slides and Teva sandals as a way of bridging the gap between luxury and year-round comfort. But as menswear turns towards a more resort wear-inspired motif for the summer, this could become as much true of the men, as well. Leather slides and sandals, previously reserved for male models who spent their long summers looking beautiful on the med, are now being worked into flowy resort looks, paired with billowing shirts and linen pants to create silhouettes that scream beachside luxury.