Crocs, the footwear company known for its Classic Clog silhouette, has recently surged in popularity again. Now a staple in many people’s wardrobes, the brand has branched out over the years into different styles and collaborations — really weird ones, at that. The lineup ranges from designer Anwar Carrots to actress Drew Barrymore and a lot more. The company’s most recent collaboration with singer, rapper and Crocs aficionado Bad Bunny sold out in 16 minutes. These pairs had glow-in-the-dark Jibbitz on a white base, the perfect amount of simplicity.
So I took a deep dive into the recent history of these collaborations with celebrities, high-end retailers and even a candy company. Here are eight of the most absurd Crocs collaborations I could find:
These are just too good, mostly because of how outrageous they are. Move over McDonald’s, KFC has the best fast-food collaboration of the past year.
I don’t know which aspect is my favorite. There’s the fact the Crocs are printed with images of KFC’s signature fried chicken and paired with its iconic red and white stripes on the soles. The Jibbitz are realistic, scented chicken wings. The commercial is just as engaging as the shoes themselves. Coming in at just under a minute, artist MLMA takes the shoes out of two deep fryers and serves them from a striped window. And though I wouldn’t actually wear them, the KFC Crocs would make a really interesting display piece — a relic of the strange year 2020 has been.
Chinatown Market’s fuzzy pair of Crocs has a special place in my heart. The turf grass reminds me of the downtown Silver Spring’s artificial grass lawn of my childhood. The top part of the shoe is covered in turf, and so are the insoles, adding to the shoes’ weirdness. The Chinatown Market branding on the strap is the perfect touch. The brand’s tie-dye pair made with the Grateful Dead comes in as a runner-up.
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3. Peeps
This bright collaboration is a mixture of cute and cringe. I kind of want a pair but, like most on this list, they’re sold out — except for certain sizes on StockX, where some go for $1,000. The marshmallow snacks were made into Jibbitz for the shoes, and they’re so full of joy. The Peeps logo on the rivets was a nice touch as well. Peeps Crocs for the win!
4. Pizzaslime
Get this: a handbag, but it’s actually just a Croc with a zipper pouch in it. Pizzaslime, an edgy streetwear brand, has collaborated with the shoe company a couple times, with its most recent collaboration featuring glow-in-the-dark Jibbitz just like Bad Bunny’s. This brand keeps outdoing itself. I’d totally wear both pairs … who wouldn’t?
5. BEAMS
In the same vein as Pizzaslime, the Japanese clothing brand BEAMS collaborated with Crocs to create shoes that can carry a small number of belongings. But this time, you can wear the shoe and carry your belongings at the same time. The “pocket clog” has a small fanny pack on the shoe’s straps, with “beams” written on one shoe and “crocs” on the other. These Crocs are branded and functional, which is a plus.
6. Alife
To the tune of Cardi B’s “I Like It”: I like those Alife Crocs, the ones with built-in socks.
It’s one less step in the morning! This pair looks the most comfortable of the group. It’ll protect you from Croc-tans and give you an excuse to break them out in the winter. It’s a win-win — except for probably having to hand-wash the socks.
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7. Christopher Kane
The weirdest thing about Kane’s Crocs isn’t that one pair’s Jibbitz are textured rocks. It’s that this collaboration appeared on the runway at London Fashion Week. My favorite pair is the yellow one with black soles and silver jewels on top. They’re so gaudy it’s intriguing. Kane is self-aware about the collaboration as well, saying, “it has certainly been the most controversial collaboration I have worked on, which makes it all the more fun.”
The Barneys New York and Crocs collaboration isn’t just eccentric because of the shoe itself — although that can be argued, because they are spiked clog shoes. A now-defunct high-end retailer, Barneys’ Crocs are punk rock as hell, which is not something I expected to say about Crocs. I love them and wish I owned a pair. From the silver chain on the strap to the charms reading “DESTROY” and “RESIST,” I’m impressed.
