Forget the ugly shoe movement, UGGs are the original meme-driven fashion trend, having made waves decades before we even had a phrase for the phenomenon. Whether you think they’re ugly doesn’t matter. The fact is, the shoe’s viral characteristics — fuzzy insides and slanted toes, not to mention they’re comfortable and easy to rock sockless — made them an instant hit, and long before style icons like Paris Hilton and André Leon Talley started wearing them.
We take a look at the company’s epic history to find out how a slapdash import business ideated in the back of a surf van became part of a megacorporation that rakes in over $3 billion a year.
Riding the Wave
No one knows exactly who first invented the sheepskin boots that would eventually inspire the UGG brand. We do know that some iteration of the fluffy moccasins could be found at ocean-adjacent gas stations in Australia since at least the 1960s — when they were first popularized by cold-toed surfers drawn to their warming and moisture-wicking qualities. By the following decade, sheepskin boots had become a beachside must-have Down Under, but it wasn’t until 1978 that soon-to-be UGG founder Brian Smith, then just 28 years old, started on his mission to bring the surf accessory to America.
California Classics
After graduating as a chartered accountant in Australia, Smith moved to California. In Santa Monica he learned to ride the legendary SoCal waves with his new American friends, and it was there he realized the classic surf boots he relied on to warm up post-rip weren’t available stateside. After securing a $20,000 investment and an exclusive deal with Aussie manufacturer Country Leather, the budding entrepreneur, who had been desperately searching for an export to bring back to Australia, began importing sheepskin goods to America instead. Smith struggled for the first few years, but he eventually found retailers in the form of surf shops and sporting goods stores. By the early ’80s, his UGGs could be spotted on Cali surfers, barefoot beach bums, and snowboarders who appreciated their pillowy structure after a long day on the slopes.
Big Boots to Fill
By the mid 1980s, UGG had been officially trademarked in the U.S., where the once solely functional footwear was slowly becoming a fashion statement. Sales were increasing, and along with more retailers came more ad campaigns and more clients. By 1993, the company was shipping over 3,000 pairs per day, a number that would skyrocket the following year when budding superstar Pamela Anderson was photographed wearing a pair of tall sheepskin boots on the set of Baywatch and the U.S. Olympic team was outfitted with UGGs for the opening ceremony in Norway.
Celebrity Skin
UGGs may have been popularized as a men’s utility shoe, but with tabloid-favorites like Anderson adopting what was becoming an instantly recognizable silhouette, Smith knew there was room for growth. Rather than waiting around for another famous UGG spotting, Smith began offering free shoes to celebrity stylists and makeup artists in hopes they would eventually wind up on a pair of famous feet. In 1995, Smith sold UGG to Deckers Outdoor Corporation, an American company best known as the owners of Teva, another practical footwear line that was having a moment in the ’90s.
The Oprah Effect
In 2003, Oprah Winfrey gave away 350 pairs of UGGs to audience members as part of her “Oprah’s Favorite Things” segment. That same year, the company dropped light pink and baby blue colorways in addition to their classic chestnut. UGGs were spotted on celebrities like Paris Hilton and Sarah Jessica Parker (the latter once wore a custom ruby red pair on the set of Sex and the City), who were making statements by stepping out in shoes with a not-so-sleek silhouette. It was the era of rhinestones, mini skirts, and Juicy Couture, when style was just as much about attention-seeking as it was seeking comfort. And with their puffy frame and foot-hugging characteristics, UGGs were a perfect fit.
Copy Cats
In 2006, UGG opened its first namesake store in New York’s SoHo shopping district. Suddenly, UGGs could be found on every celebutante and American middle schooler whose parents were able or willing to drop roughly $175 on a pair of slouchy boots. For those who couldn’t afford the UGG label, alternatives had emerged from cheap Chinese imitations to various Australian manufacturers. “FUGGs,” as some playfully nicknamed the increasingly popular knock-offs, were everywhere. By 2010, UGG was reported as one of America’s most counterfeited brands, alongside major labels like Tiffany & Co. and Coach.
Fab Collabs
By the late aughts, countless companies including Ed Hardy and Pamela Anderson’s vegan-friendly shoe line Pammies were producing variations on the ubiquitous boot — inspiring UGG to do the same. In 2009, the American company dropped its first collab with Jimmy Choo, a highly controversial collection crafted by Tamara Mellon, who believed that by creating embellished, muk-luk-inspired UGGs, she could turn her “guilty pleasure” into a fashion statement. A few years later, the company came out with “UGG Collection,” a luxury footwear line with prices that extended into quadruple digits.
UGG-ly?
In 2010, when D-list celebrities like Snooki from Jersey Shore could be found in trucker hats and UGGs with furry leopard shafts, Daily Mail listed the sheepskin boots, along with late-aughts trends including leggings and gladiator sandals, as one of the top fashion turnoffs for straight men. At the time, early adopters of UGGs such as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were no longer “it” girls but enemies, and like them, it appeared as though UGGs had exhausted their time in the spotlight. Suddenly, chestnut-colored sheepskin boots were no longer a fashion statement but a symbol of lazy dressing and outdated trends. In other words: They were basic.
Boldly Basic
When celebrity footballer Tom Brady appeared in his first UGG campaign in 2011, snarky bloggers, who had seemingly forgotten that sheepskin boots were once solely the domain of surfers and sports fanatics, had a heyday. It was a time when meme-makers obsessed over phrases like “basic bitch” and “pumpkin spice season,” and when UGGs had become synonymous with white girl campus fashion. Yet it was both the ubiquity and the memeable nature of UGGs that kept the brand in the spotlight. In 2015, for example, Adam Sandler was spotted rocking basketball shorts and a relatable pair of worn-in UGGs, lending a famous face to the memeable “basic bitch” fashion faux pas.
Meme Magic
In 2018, Y/Project designer Glenn Martens sent a pair of thigh-high UGGs down the runway for the brand’s ready-to-wear collection. The collaboration was an instant hit and marked what for many was the rise of our current obsession with meme-driven fashion trends. A few years later, the late Vogue fashion editor, fashion icon, and longtime fan of the brand André Leon Talley helmed an UGG campaign, boosting the company’s visibility and clout with his co-sign. Both Martens and Talley thus inadvertently spearheaded a new series of sought-after UGG collabs with cult brands including Eckhaus Latta, Telfar, and Shayne Oliver.
Mini Madness
In 2022, Bella Hadid stepped onto the streets of NYC in the company’s newly revamped Ultra Mini boot, a style similar to the classic UGG silhouette but with a bold and postable platform sole. Suddenly, a new generation of fashion fanatics were scrambling to score sheepskin boots, just as teens nearly 20 years prior had when UGGs first hit Hollywood. Within weeks, everyone from the Hadid sisters to Emily Ratajkowski could be seen in a pair of sold-out styles. Only this time, TikTok helped fuel the trend. Today, a simple search for “UGGs” on the app brings up Y2K references, DIY videos (kids are cutting their “outdated” ankle-height boots into “minis”), and countless “hauls” by folks who are spearheading an outdoor slipper movement (the Tasman mule is currently one of the company’s best sellers). Whether this is a symptom of Gen-Z’s desire to stay cozy or indicative of our cultural reverence for celebrity style isn’t clear, but like the Y2K revival, we know that UGGs aren’t going anywhere.
Shop UGG x Telfar collection here
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