Crocs craze

I’ve always wondered what the true fascination behind Crocs shoes/footwear was. Every corner I looked, someone is bound to be wearing a pair of Crocs – why the craze? Never understood it and not sure if I ever will. Nonetheless, Clare recently suggested that we too get a pair of baby crocs for Chloe and before I knew it we were off on a shopping spree……….all for the sake of my baby girl (haha….).

Surprisingly, despite being somewhat a phenomenon the world over (which includes Singapore) there are only two main Crocs boutiques on the island – one at Vivocity and the other at Marina Square. We brought Chloe to Vivocity to try on her first pair of Crocs and I was thoroughly amazed at the diversified range of shoes that they had! Did you know that Crocs was first intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole? I didn’t, and I bet no one else did too (haha…… just trying to console myself for being ignorant…).

At the official Crocs website you will find the following business model/vision: “We are committed to making a lightweight, comfortable, slip-resistant, fashionable and functional shoe, which can be produced quickly and at an affordable price to our customers.” Lightweight – yes. Comfortable – definitely. Slip-resistant – can’t argue with that. Fashionable and functional shoe – true. Affordable price - WHAT???? The prices for these sandals range from S$50 – 80 and they call them affordable?? Hahaha….. I do however applaud the company for its innovation and creativity – when I last checked its website it listed 90 different products. Obviously there are loads of folks out there who must be truly obsessed with Crocs (in order to motivate the company to come up with 90 different products!) - I am now utterly convinced that I’m the only person on this planet who has not fully appreciated the value of Crocs (my loss…).

Oh…..back to buying Chloe’s first pair of Crocs. Chloe tried on about 2 – 3 different designs/models - some were obviously more comfy than others. These models were called ‘Mary Jane’, ‘Kids Cayman’, ‘Dora Flower Kids’ etc. Chloe felt most comfortable in ‘Kids Cayman’ and actually ended up wandering out of the shop in a fresh pair of Crocs before we had the chance to pay for it! Then it was down to choosing the right colour. Pink was our favourite but size 6/7 wasn’t available at the Vivocity outlet. So we made reservations to collect a pair from the Marina Square outlet instead. Two days later when we finally set foot at Marina Square to collect the shoes, we came across another colour called ‘Pearl White’ which wasn’t available at Vivocity. Chloe already has 5 to 6 pairs of existing shoes/sandals in pink – so we unanimously decided on the ‘Pearl White’ model instead. On top of that, we bought a couple of cute little “jibbitz”, which is the ‘official’ term used to describe the clip-ons (available in a variety of shapes/designs such as Dora, Disney characters, flower, beetle bug, etc) that are used to accessorize the shoe……. can’t figure out the term “jibbitz” ?........not to worry, you’re not alone……..hahaha.

Clare is now obsessed with Chloe’s crocs. She spent half an hour just choosing 3 jibbitz – and I’m certain that she will not stop at 3. She has already ‘convinced’ herself to buy more of these to match a variety of Chloe’s clothes!!
Chloe's pearl white crocs

The 'Dora' jibbitz

Example of how jibbitz help 'decorate' the shoe.....