Living the Ugg life: Jeremy Scott’s Fall 2017 collaboration with the footwear brand drops Sept. 13
Jeremy Scott has long incorporated symbols of pop culture into his designs, and his latest project involves the ubiquitous furry boot. Scott and Ugg have linked on a set of limited-edition styles that will make their debuts on Sept. 13.
“Collaborations have been very popular for a long time, and we have done them in the past but never been that strategic in terms of what they can do for us as a business. This collaboration stretches what the brand stands for and what we can do design-wise,” said Andrea O’Donnell, president of Ugg.
The tie-up with Scott is the first one that covers all categories — women, men, kids and babies. Ugg collaborated on a women’s style back in 2010 with Jimmy Choo, and in October will debut a men’s collaboration with 3.1 Phillip Lim.
The eight limited-edition styles will retail from $90 to $1,195 at select global retailers and at five North American retailers: Just One Eye, IntermixOnline.com, Serenella, Chuckies and David Lawrence.
“I was an undercover Ugg fan. They are so cozy and I love the way they look with pants and shorts,” said Scott. “It’s not known for men to wear them so much here even though they are surfer-dude footwear. After trying them on in Waikiki a couple years back, I found myself in the store at The Grove and I was like, ‘I’m going to do this. I don’t care what people say.’’
Cut to Scott’s Australian assistant contacting the company, only to find out that they already wanted to work with him.
“I’ve always admired Jeremy; I think he does something special and different when fashion can be so serious,” O’Donnell said.
The styles Scott created range from the subtle to the over-the-top, including the Classic brown tall boots embroidered with “Ugg” on one and “Life” on the other in an Old English font; another pair embellished with Scott’s signature hot rod flames; and black ones encrusted with crystals and beads in a floral motif.
“It was a perfect space for me. I loved classic tall boot because it’s so recognizable and very indicative of L.A. and Malibu. That was my first impression, of Kate Hudson and Britney Spears wearing them. There’s a sense of nostalgia for that era right now.”
Of future projects, O’Donnell said, “We are talking to a range of designers at the moment, either born in California or who have interesting stories to tell about what UGG has meant to them. We’re also looking to connect outside of ready-to-wear and footwear to heritage and craftsman companies, tech stories and industrial designers or makers of things.”
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