In October 2020 alone, heritage brand Hunter saw a 127% increase in sales of its classic Original Tall Boot – as one executive commented: “when people think wellies, you buy Hunter”. “Even before the crisis, the move away from formalwear was already in motion, with clean sneakers increasingly becoming acceptable office attire.”Įqually dynamic are the booming sales of wellies and walking shoes during Covid-19, especially once wet weather hit the UK. Never slow to miss an opportunity, even fashion labels have integrated slippers into their collections, with London Fashion Week designer Molly Goddard collaborating with Ugg on fake fur slippers styles, and Balenciaga launching heeled slippers in its SS21 line.
Footwear giants such as Ugg and Birkenstock have renewed their focus on comfort-focused indoor shoes, and we’ve also seen a shift towards premium products, with consumers willing to spend more on slippers in the knowledge that they’ll be worn all day, every day, safely hidden beneath the desk on every Zoom. By December, sales of John Lewis’ sheepskin slippers had skyrocketed 60%.
In the 12 weeks to 20 September 2020, even before winter had hit, spending in the UK on both men’s and women’s slippers increased by 46% to £36.8m. Sales of slippers, for example, have soared over the last few months, as lockdown restrictions kept people indoors.
Many of these changes are unsurprising, directly reflecting our new reality. With global shifts in the way we live and work, footwear brands, retailers and manufacturers have been forced to rethink their offering to cater for sudden changes in consumer demands. Who would have thought, a year ago, that high heels would be being thrown unceremoniously to the back of the wardrobe, or that Crocs would be labeled the coolest shoe of the year? In the last twelve months, we have seen almost every corner of the consumer-facing sector shaken by the Covid-19 crisis – and the footwear category is no exception.