UGG is a footwear brand that has graced different shoe stores around the world for more than a decade, thanks to the warm, cozy, functional, and trendy design of UGG boots.
However, there have been different claims from UGG lovers as to when these sheepskin boots came out. So, which year did UGGs come out? If you’d like to find out, keep reading!
When Did UGGs Come Out In 2024?
UGGs came out in 1978 after Brian Smith, an Australian Surfer, relocated to Southern California. Brian Smith designed the first Classic UGG Boot from sheepskin with its fleece still attached. By the mid-1980s, UGGs became a beach culture symbol from Santa Cruz to San Diego. Since then, the UGG brand has expanded to the designer winter footwear you know today.
To learn more about when different UGGs came out, when and how UGG boots became popular, and more, keep on reading!
When Did UGGs Come Out in the United States?
UGGs came out in the United States of America for the first time in 1978.
UGG boots’ origin dates back to the 1960s in Australia, where surfers created the early versions of the sheepskin-lined boots to keep their feet warm and comfortable after surfing.
Nevertheless, UGG boots, as we know them today, landed in the United States for the first time in the late 1970s, brought by Brian Smith.
Brian Smith, an Aussie surfer and UGG’s founder, relocated to Southern California with the idea of selling his warm and cozy creation to the surfing community.
Soon, Smith began selling his bag full of UGGs to the South California surfer community on the beach to keep their feet warm and slowly scaled up his business.
Afterward, he created a company by the name UGG Holdings to help him sell his boots and bought other UGG trademarks, making him the sole owner of the UGG brand.
In 1995, the Australian surfer sold his UGG Holdings company to Deckers Outdoor Incorporation, who, in turn, trademarked the UGG brand in 1999 in over 130 countries.
For more than three decades now, the Deckers’ UGG brand has made a name for itself as a leader in the fashion industry worldwide, specializing in manufacturing comfy footwear.
When Did UGGs Become Popular?
UGGs became popular during the Noughties boom in the early 2000s.
In 2000, television star Oprah Winfrey declared on one of her prime time shows that UGG boots were some of her favorite footwear, thus, turning the fortunes of the UGG brand.
Consequently, UGG gifted Oprah’s talk show audience with 350 pairs of these chic boots, catapulting the UGG brand even more into the public.
Before long, other Hollywood stars such as Nicole Richie, Beyoncé, and Rihanna started sporting these trendy shoes, making them popular.
Typically, after the celebrity endorsements, UGG’s sales exploded, not only in the United States but across the world, as teenagers followed their celebrities’ lead.
However, over time, UGGs became oversaturated in the market, which, in turn, made the UGG brand fall out of favor and drop off the scene.
Nonetheless, in 2018, more fashion-forward-designed UGGs started to make a comeback into the fashion scene after appearing at the Men’s Fashion Week 2018.
Thus, hate them or love them, UGGs have over the years demonstrated their rather enduring presence in the fashion industry.
When Was Koolaburra by UGG Released?
Koolaburra came out in 1991 as a sheepskin footwear label to compete with the fast-rising UGG brand.
However, Koolaburra by UGG came out in September 2016, when Deckers Outdoor Corporation added it to the UGG brand after purchasing its parent company.
Koolaburra by UGG entered into the market to act as Deckers Brand’s entry into regional footwear chains and mid-tier department stores that UGGs were too costly to occupy.
In addition, these boots were touted as a more fashion-forward-looking shoe, as well as an affordable alternative to the original UGG boots.
As if that’s not enough, the new Koolaburra by UGG brand targeted a younger female demographic than the UGGs and appealed to millennial moms and teenage girls.
Although Koolaburra by UGG started as a tightly curated women’s footwear collection, the brand has evolved to become a seasonless wardrobe staple for the whole modern family.
When Did Vegan UGGs Release?
Deckers Outdoor Corporation launched the vegan UGG shoe line collection, dubbed the Plant Power Collection, in October 2020.
According to UGG, these plant-based UGGs were meant to combat climate change and cater to vegan UGG lovers.
This is because they were made from plant-based and carbon-neutral materials.
For instance, vegan UGGs’ outsoles were made of renewable sugarcane to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
This material also removes Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere, and LACTATE HEVEA latex from the Hevea rubber tree was also used in this boot design.
In addition, the fluff used to manufacture these vegan shoes was made of TENCEL branded Lyocell fibers sourced from sustainably grown and harvested trees.
To reduce the amount of packaging used to ship these vegan UGGs, the plant-based UGGs were shipped in their containers to eliminate the need for postal packaging.
To cap it off, the material information of these climate-friendly shoes was directly printed on FSC-certified tissue papers, not insert cards, to decrease the amount of paper used.
Today, UGG’s vegan shoe collection comes in three different styles: the Neumel Natural, the Fluffy Sugar Sandal, and the Fluffy Sugar Platform.
When Did Fluff Yeah UGG Slides Release?
Fluff Yeah UGG Slides was released in June 2018 as a summer shoe option for UGG lovers.
The introduction of Fluff Yeah UGG slides was more or less a departure from the original UGGs since these slides are a cross between a slipper and a sandal.
Fluff yeah UGG slides were introduced into the market to cater to UGG lovers who need cozy and comfortable summer shoes.
These UGG slides come with lightweight platforms to elevate the sandals and keep your feet airy in the summer heat, making them easy and ideal summer shoes to walk in.
In addition, the fluff yeah UGG slides are made of soft sheepskin-wrapped bands to make them cozy, just like the fleece-lined winter boots.
Their elastic back heel strap ensures that they don’t slip off while walking.
Conclusion
As you may have noted by now, UGG boots have defied all the odds still to remain one of the most popular, trendy, and talked about winter footwear around the globe.
For over three decades, these chic boots have continued to warm the feet of UGG lovers in the cold chilly weather. Hate them or love them, UGGs continue to demonstrate their resilience in the fashion industry.