The History of Uggs
3/5/24
By: Eleanor McElroy
Walking into school, you see someone wearing uggs, look over to your right you someone else wearing them! They are everywhere! Student down the hallway- wearing uggs! Many people love these fashionable shoes, but not a lot know the origin of them; including who founded the brand and the ideas behind them.
To start off with the history, who were they funded by? Uggs were created in the 1960s to the 1970s, in California U.S.A. They were funded by Doug Otto in 1973. (Doug Otto, the founder of the brand uggs, was born in 1951. And he graduated from the University of California in 1973 with a BA in Business-Economics.) When these boots/shoes were created, they were unbelievably meant for people who surfed but also to protect the feet from the cold. Many people found out about this shoe and it soon became very popular. Almost like they are today but popular for a different reason.
This is a picture of Doug Otto, the founder of Uggs.
This is how Uggs were sometimes styled in the 2000s.
After covering the 1950s to the 1970s let's talk about the 2000s-2010s. Now obviously in the 2000s-2010s they had very different styles. And everyone knows that by now. Why are these years mentioned? Well uggs, very very popular. One of the reasons that they were popular was because they were often paired with mini denim skirts, baby tees and cargo pants. They were not just popular because of how they were styled but also because many celebrities also wore them. But they soon started wearing them less and less and soon the popularity of uggs started to fade and a new type of shoe was introduced. Until the mid 2010s when men started wearing them and got back into fashion. Lots of people at the time were stunned to see men pull off “ugly” shoes. Many people didn’t know about that trend but a student at EJHS, Julia Schliesser says, “I have heard about people who wore Uggs that were styled very differently then how we usually wear Uggs.”
If you thought that the mid 2010 comeback was big you’re way off, because the 2020s, they became more popular than ever. Social media: tiktok, youtube, snapchat, instagram, and more spread the brand uggs like wildfire. Many influencers danced with these shoes, made videos, sponsorships, all that! With all that happening on social media they were out everywhere. Which could possibly be the main reason they are so popular. “I think it’s because of social media platforms…” said Alana Armstrong, a 6th grader at EJHS.
With all that information to be said, that is the history of Uggs in a few paragraphs to read. With how they were made around the 1970s to being popular in the 2000s-2010s to them sky rocketing up to popularity in the 2020s.
Contributor bio:
Eleanor is an EJHS student who likes to do art, bake, and more.