A Shortlist of Crocs Collaborations… Camp or Crash?

Written by Zoё Frantz

Edited by Leah Champagne

Started in Boulder, Colorado in 2002, Crocs must certainly be given credit for making a comfortable and practical waterproof shoe. I know I am not the only one who remembers wearing Crocs as a child because my parents knew they were cheap, waterproof and came in a wide array of colours. That being said, Crocs certainly fell into a rut for a while… I also remember being a tween and thinking they were absolutely hideous. However, the brand has done an excellent job at innovating its product line, not only with new silhouettes but with numerous collaborations. These include major food and beverage companies (e.g. McDonald’s, and Busch Beer), popular television characters (e.g. Spongebob and Shrek), luxury designers (e.g. Balenciaga and Simone Rocha), and various artists (e.g Post Malone and Keith Harring). In any case, while Crocs is absolutely prolific for its collaborations, some were camp and some were a crash; let’s debunk it together…

Let’s start with some collaborations which were certainly unconventional, but still succeeded in being camp and visually appealing. First, Crocs collaborated with Scottish fashion designer Christopher Kane in 2016. This collaboration consisted of six pairs of Crocs which resembled the geological elements found in nature, including a pair in a brown and white marble print with jibbitz resembling various rocks and minerals. This line was unveiled on Kane’s runway for London’s SS2017 Fashion Week. The next year he and Crocs launched another collab which focused more on animal prints and a darker colour palette.

Another collaboration that was charmingly strange was Crocs x Chinatown Market in 2019. One pair from this collaboration sticks out as being the epitome of camp – the artificial grass clog. Although quite simple in design, these clogs make a statement; fake grass covers almost the entire upper and lines the footbed, while the strap has the brand’s name in its trademark font. While I personally wouldn’t wear these, I feel that they are bold enough to make a statement, yet toned down enough that you may not even realize they are covered in fake grass. Similarly, the Lil Nas X collaboration was certainly unique, boasting an entirely fur exterior in place of the traditional foam one while still being fairly versatile – its colourway and shape makes it more wearable, and almost looks like an Ugg slipper.

In 2022, Crocs and Pleasures teamed up to create a line of streetwear-inspired footwear. While this collaboration did not alter the shape of the Croc, the visually appealing patterns and designs reminiscent of Pleasures’ punkish essence, making the seemingly “dorky” Croc into a striking and cool footwear option. One pair, a classic Croc with a skeletal foot printed on the upper and footbed, is particularly intriguing. It is extremely simple in design, but still turns heads with the striking image of stark white bones against a jet-black background, with the brand name on the strap, also in bright white.

Finally, both the Simone Rocha and Hello Kitty Croc collaborations of 2024 excel in feminizing the blocky nature of the Croc in a playful yet wearable way. As a fashion designer, Simone Rocha capitalizes on the feminine silhouette of Crocs’ Siren Clog while adding her personal flare through dainty silver and pearlized flower jibbitz. Similarly, Hello Kitty uses the bows characteristic of the Sanrio character to be easily recognizable, which in turn gives the entire line a girly persona. While both lines are a bit out there for me personally, I think they lend very well to individuals who like a chunkier shoe that is still elevated and can certainly be styled in a fashionable and cohesive way.

Now, while there were definitely a lot of successful Crocs collaborations, there were also many that fell flat. To begin, the Nicole McLaughlin collaboration in 2020 left me with a lot of questions. On the one hand, I understand the attempt to make a multi-use Croc, complete with twine, an insulated drawstring sleeve for ankle warmth, and other accessories. However, the inclusion of holes in the clog kind of defeats the goal of warmth, and having all of those items on the upper shoe seems like it would be annoying to walk around with. And from a visual standpoint, these aren’t very versatile or aesthetically pleasing and sometimes camp doesn’t literally mean camping…

Another collaboration that missed the mark was the Kentucky Fried Chicken collaboration, also in 2020. It seems like maybe these were less about being a versatile fashion piece and more about being a new form of marketing for KFC; this isn’t a bad thing, but I would say that there were other ways to incorporate KFC’s colours and brand in a less outright way. Moreover, these are certainly camp but in a different fashion than other collaborations (these are more ironic than playful, so to speak). That being said, these Crocs were likely made more with the intention of making a silly statement and appealing to existing and potential KFC customers than they were for fashionistas, which is perfectly okay.

Balenciaga’s collaboration with Crocs was just… wrong. While there were a couple of pairs that were fairly inoffensive (the knee-high boot and the platform clog), the stiletto Croc was positively ugly. Not only are they impractical (the heel looks quite unstable, especially given the flexible nature of the Croslite), but they also defeat the purpose of a high heel. In particular, with so many other conventional heels on the market, I don’t see the incentive for someone to spend almost $1500 CAD on a glorified Croc when traditional Crocs start at $65 CAD and are often on sale. This just feels like a vanity project for a luxury fashion designer who wants to see if people will buy anything just because it’s Balenciaga and takes no care in being creative.

With the live-action movie released in July, 2023 marked a major resurgence of everything Barbie. Naturally, Crocs had to hop on this bandwagon, but this collaboration fell short of my expectations. It felt like so much more could be done – sure, it has a lot of pink, some Barbie-themed jibbitz, and some glitter and fur, but this felt like a safe play. Simply put, this line is non-commital; it isn’t quite camp, but it also doesn’t pose any reason for Croc connoisseurs to buy one of these pairs in particular. Had they done a pair of Siren clogs with a brighter print, perhaps I would have felt differently.

Lastly, the Crocs x MSCHF collaboration released in August 2023 was a bit redundant. The American art collective based in Brooklyn had dropped their “Big Red Boot” in February, which certainly took the internet by storm. By contrast, these boots just felt like the yellow version of those with some added holes and the characteristic Crocs strap. Again, there were so many directions MSCHF could have gone with this, and this just felt like a copy-and-paste situation. I refrain from classifying these as camp for that very reason – they aren’t original and, because of this, they aren’t shocking or fresh.

My Picks

Clearly, Crocs has done a lot of collaborations since its conception, many of which I could not fit into this article. While I myself am not an avid Crocs wearer, I can appreciate their practicality and comfort, as well as their dynamism in constantly putting out a new collaboration and/or design. That being said, I have three picks I would wear if I did wear Crocs. First are the Crocs designed by SZA in 2022, more specifically the classic clogs with the brown and orange swirl print, gold strap charms, friendship bracelet, and nature-related jibbitz. While these are certainly busy, I think they are cohesively configured and just bold enough to be eye-catching without being overwhelming. Additionally, I absolutely adore the aforementioned Crocs x Pleasures collaboration in general and I would definitely wear either the skeleton clogs I mentioned or the black slides with graphic pins. Both of these are statement pieces that could easily carry a simpler outfit. Last but not least, the Jean-Michel Basquiat clogs from this year demonstrate a wonderful treatment of Basquiat’s chaotic yet masterful art style, and I personally love the crown details for the jibbitz and on the footbed. In closing, Crocs certainly has something for just about everyone, even those of us who don’t usually care for Crocs. This leaves me with two questions: what will the next collab be, and what is your favourite pair?