Now Gen Z has brought Crocs back into style, too

First, they revived baggy jeans. Now Gen Z has another object on which to place their comfort-fashion inspired affections: Crocs. And judging by the stats, that ugly rubber clog is back in a big way.

Maybe it’s time to apologize to your dad for all those times you told couldn’t wear his Crocs in public, just like you had to apologize for all the mocking you laid upon his grey colourway New Balance 574s.

Now you’ll be the one searching for a pair on Depop or other secondhand retailers as Crocs have had a 70 percent spike in resale prices this year.

“We have seen Gen Z in particular embrace Crocs, with a number of influencers wearing and promoting them, along with a viral trend on TikTok,” Global Curation Lead at Depop, Viviana Attard told The Guardian.

Big names have been getting in on it too. Influencers and celebrities such as Bad Bunny and Justin Bieber have been seen sporting their own pairs in recent Instagram posts, which has begun to sway the opinion of haters in the polar opposite direction and hop on yet another trend.

Crocs have been slowly increasing in popularity for a while now. In 2018, they collaborated with rapper Post Malone, using his signature barbed wire and Jibbitz to customize a yellow taxi coloured shoe. The shoe was a big hit.

“That month, for the first time, a pair of Crocs was featured on our bestseller list,” Jesse Einhorn, Senior Economist at StockX, told the Guardian.

Generation Z clearly saw this as opportunity to personalize their own shoes as Crocs are known to be decorated with many different accessories, leading to a slow resurgence which is starting to peak in 2021.

The controversial shoe has come a long way since its debut in 2002 as the company was near bankruptcy in 2009. Even Crocs President Michelle Poole may have never envisioned her shoes would be worn on the red carpet by American rapper Questlove, who wore them for the Oscars 2021.

Kanye West may also perhaps be driving the resurgence, as he released what can be speculated to be his own version of the Crocs with the Adidas-made Yeezy Foam Runner, which he intended to be a democratic shoe.

Crocs have reported a 64 per cent rise in sales during the first quarter of 2021 so it’s safe to say that the brand has been reaping the benefits.

Now the real question: Should you wear Crocs? That’s a question that we’re going to have to leave between you and the person who has to be seen in public with you most often.