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Whole Lot of Crocs
Times & Transcript, May 30, 2006
Gail Colosimo’s long shifts in the ER don’t seem nearly as long anymore.
The reason for her renewed stamina is boldly displayed on her feet.
Like hundreds of staff at the Moncton Hospital, as well as adults and children of every age and ambition, Gail proudly wears what may be the single most popular item in footwear … well, ever.
The veteran nurse says she’s typically quite reserved by nature and her style is subtle, yet when it came to choosing her Crocs, she didn’t hold back. Until she took the plunge into this new trend in footwear three months ago, Gail would never have considered wearing bright red shoes with her uniform. Now she wouldn’t wear anything else, except for a different colour, perhaps.
From doctors, nurses, porters and other hospital staff, the floor at the hospital is a constant stream of colour as busy workers make their way about their duties.
“Some people have bright yellow or bright orange, some have a few pairs and co-ordinate them with their uniforms,” Gail says. “And patients like them. I think it brightens their day a little.” The Crocs cause her patients to smile, and she’s quite sure her feet are smiling to.
The dramatically colourful, and undeniably comfortable, Crocs have really gone beyond popular to become a phenomenon. This craze is happening in New Brunswick, as well as everywhere else in North America.
The story of the shoe’s popularity exists at Sport Check as it does at the other handful of store in the region that sell them.
Store manager Jason Ward couldn’t say how many Crocs have sold at the Champlain Place location of the mega sports store, but he did say that when Crocs first arrived in February, the demand for them couldn’t be met.
“And they are still doing phenomenally well,” Jason says. “Every season there’s a new hot item, but we have never seen anything like this that spreads across all age groups and generations. It is incredible.” Jason says he sees customers coming into the store every day who have likely never stepped foot inside a sports shop before.
“Everyone is looking for Crocs,” he says. “I think they are selling because of the comfort of them, and through that comfort, they have caught on as a fashion piece.” Sussex Source for Sports was one of the first stores in this region to sell Crocs. This is the location where Gail and many of her co-workers purchased their first pair.
The popularity of these shoes is so incredible that at that small Sussex sports shop alone, about 1,500 pairs have been sold and 150 more people are on a waiting list looking for a specific colour and size. In the town of just over 4,000 people, that number could translate into one pair of Crocs for nearly every three people.
So is the well-known Cow Town turning into Croc Town?
Greg Balcom runs Source for Sports in Sussex and says Crocs are taking over. And as most retailers who stock the popular clogs can relate, the business owner is thrilled about it.
“I tell people I figure Crocs will put my kids through their first year and a half of college,” he jokes.
The reality is, according to Crocs spokesperson Tia Mattson, this new shoe which she believes has real staying power because of its comfort, is resurging business for countless smalls stores.
Most local retailers have new Crocs arriving regularly and will take whatever they can get from the over-burdened manufacturer.
While there are more affordable knock-offs on the market, they are missing more than the cute little crocodile logo. Only Crocs are made with Croslite, which is neither plastic nor rubber, but a closed-cell resin that is often described as “spongy” because it softens with body heat and moulds to the user’s feet.
Croslite is also microbial, so Crocs are resistant to the bacteria that cause foot odour.
But as colourful and as comfortable Crocs are, there’s no denying that the majority of people first consider them downright ugly. That tiny fact seems to slip away, however, as soon as the critic slips his/her foot into one, Crocs’ spokeswoman explains.
In order for anything that ugly to be that popular, they must be comfortable.
Tia says the company doesn’t mind the jokes. In fact, they make some of their own regarding the bold and clunky-looking shoe.
“We poke fun at ourselves. Ugly can be beautiful,” Tia says.
While fads come and go, the company is hoping that the comfort and cost of the shoes will ensure their long life. The most common Beach version with its holey tops and strap which can be worn in the back or pivoted to the front to create a clog style, sell for $30 to $35 in the Moncton region.
“Their popularity has spread so quickly but people are putting these shoes on and they are keeping them on. It’s really been exciting,” Tia says, adding they are actually improving the quality of life for people with foot problems and those who work long shifts like waitresses, hairdressers and hospital staff. They are also popular among chefs and gardeners, as well they are incredibly easy for children to slip on and off.
At Foiled Again Hair and Massage Studio on Gordon Street in Moncton, partowner Marc LeBlanc says almost all the staff at his shop wear Crocs.
“They are very, very comfortable and very light,” he says.
With the stylists and massage therapists required to be on their feet steady for eight to 10 hours, Marc says Crocs have offered them a relief they have never found in another shoe.
One of the male massage therapists there, Marc says, put his first pair of Crocs on in April and he hasn’t been seen in anything else since.
Crocs started in July 2002 when three Boulder, Colorado- based founders decided to market an unusual shoe developed and manufactured by Foam Creations, Inc.
They were originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole, but are now widely used by pretty much anyone else from age three to 103.
In this region Crocs are sold at: Shoe Tree, Cleve’s Source for Sports, Sport Check, Mike’s Bike Shop and Service Shoe Repair, all in Metro Moncton; Wanderlust Outdoor Outfitters in Sackville; Denin Warehouse and Miramichi Medical Supplies, both in Miramichi; Source for Sports in Sussex; and Captain’s Cabin in Bathurst.
Croc facts
The most common Crocs being worn here are the Beach version which sell for $30 to $35 in a rainbow of colours. These clogs feature holes across the toe box resembling a crocodile’s snout, hence the name. Crocs are also available in closed top, rubber boots and flip-flops for adults and kids.
Originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole, Crocs introduced its first model, the Beach, in November 2002.
Crocs are intended to fit very loosely. They are ventilated to keep the foot cool, waterproof and bacteria and odour resistant.
They weigh a mere 6 ounces.
Crocs can be sterilized in water and bleach. The heel strap can be flipped forward for slip-on clog style
The success has been so rapid that the Crocs company revenues for the first quarter ended March 31, 2006 were $44.8 million U.S. compared to revenues of $11.0 million U.S. for the first quarter ended March 31, 2005.
Everyone is wearing these shoes. Pay close attention on Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs – several cast members have started wearing them. Crocs have also shown up on chef/television personality Mario Batali (he has an orange pair). Country knockout Faith Hill, her husband Tim McGraw, and their kids have been photographed in them. Jennifer Garner is rumoured to have 16 pairs. As well actor Matt Damon has been seen sporting Crocs, and so have several hockey players including the Philadelphia Flyers’ Peter Forsberg, the recently retired Mario Lemieux and all the Pittsburgh Penguins who wear them in their team colours.
Last fall, staffers in the Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa made news when they wore their bright Crocs to work on Parliament Hill.
-Tammy Scott Wallace