Crocs, which was once listed by the Time magazine among the 50 worst inventions, is now rising as summer shoes, flooding the secondhand market with trainers vying for their penny for a pair of plastic clogs.
Rapper Nicki Minaj sported a pair of Crocs in a picture on social media last week. Her footwear, were of hot pink color and were tailored with Crocs-made Jibbitz, also bear a couple of C for Chanel’s logo.
A single photo of the famed rapper led to the crashing of the Crocs website which recorded an increase of 4, 900 percent in search for pink Crocs. The keyword search also surged in Google, as people sought for “Nicki Crocs” and “Chanel Croc Charms.”
There is less expectation for the Crocs to reign the shoe resale market despite that it already proved its fashion-ability in the past, as trainers used to dominate the said market.
StockX, an online streetwear marketplace, said that the brand recorded an increase of 70 percent in average resale prices this 2021, as reported in its Pandemic-Era Trends: The Next Chapter.
Separately, a 215 percent rise for searches was also observed on Depop, another resale site.
“We have seen an increase in the demand for Crocs based on recent trends and collabs,” StockX’s senior economist Jesse Einhorn said. “Couple this with Gen Z embracing the comfort and unconventional style of the shoe over the last 12 months.”
“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,” international curation lead at Depop, Viviana Attard, meanwhile, said.
“The demand has definitely equated to that of sneakers,” Einhorn said, saying that the plastic clogs reach the sales bar posted by in-demand sneakers in the market. “Right now, Crocs are reselling on StockX for more than 100% above retail, on average. By contrast, the average Jordan [Nike Air Jordan] resells for around 50% above retail. The fact that Crocs are subject to the same – or even greater – levels of hype illustrates a high degree of similarity with sneakers.”
Crocs was close to bankruptcy in 2009, seven years after it was created for sports champions and sailors. After which, the brand inclined into its difference. “You love us or hate us. That’s OK, because that means you’re paying attention to us,” Croc’s president Michelle Poole said.
