The
history of Ugg Boots
Ugg
Boots story began in
1978, when Brian Smith,
a young surfer from Australia,
took a trip to the United
States with a bag full
of sheepskin boots. After
finding a new home amongst
California surfers, the
Ugg Boots brand began
to take shape.
Deckers Outdoor Corporation
acquired Ugg Boots in 1995.
By 1998, the product line
had grown to include two
boots, slippers and a few
casuals. It was in 1998
that the critical repositioning
of Ugg Boots took place.
The brand was positioned
as a high-end luxury footwear
brand, made evident by
a premium distribution
strategy and high-end fashion
marketing and communications.
The luxury and comfort
of Ugg Boots proved to
be a perfect fit for the
high-end footwear world
and soon Nordstrom had
become the destination
for Ugg Boots. The media
reach expanded into more
and more high-end magazine
titles. The business continued
to grow steadily as the
brand recognition increased.
To that end, Ugg Boots
has had no better contributor
than Oprah Winfrey.
In 2000, Oprah was sent
a pair of Ultra boots.
She loved the product so
much, she purchased 350
pair for her entire staff.
Oprah then featured the
Ultra Boot on her well-known "Oprah's
Favourite Things" show.
3 years later, Oprah selected
Ugg Boots for the second
time. She featured the
Baby Pink and Baby Blue
Classic Boots. The show
aired in November, and
the boots immediately became
the "must-have" item
for holiday shoppers.
Lightning struck a third
time in 2005, when Oprah
featured the Uptown boot
on "Oprah's Favourite
Things". The results
speak for themselves.
From humble beginnings
to global success and notoriety,
the Ugg boots story reads
like a fairy tale. In 2003,
Ugg boots was named Footwear
News' "Brand of the
Year" and was responsible
for the creation of an
entirely new category of
footwear. From then on,
sheepskin footwear could
be seen on the runways
in Milan, Paris and New
York; and it all began
on the beach in Australia.
The future is limitless
for Ugg Boots, introducing
product extensions and
warm-weather footwear,
all while maintaining the
position as the world leader
in luxury and comfort.
|
