Young people buy "ugly shoes": for 400 yuan of hole shoes, I have 1000 yuan accessories

People of the Day

2024-05-26 11:08Posted on the official account of Beijing Daily People

Cave shoes, which were once regarded as "fashion tumors", have become popular in the past two years and have become the "Niu Hulu Cave Shoes" sought after by many young people. There are also many people who ridicule the hole-in-the-hole shoes on their feet as "cockroaches in the shoe world", completing a "species invasion" - whether it is a workplace, subway, shopping mall or park, they can always be seen; Since I put it on, no matter how cold or hot it is, there is no possibility of other shoes seeing the light of day again.

Text: Zheng Sifang

Edited by Xin Ye

Killer whales

A young man who worships the "cave door".

Although she knew that the things in the shopping basket were not cheap, when she checked out, the number that popped up still shocked Lan Lan - counting, 21 "shoe flowers", a total of 1086 yuan.

These shoes are just accessories to decorate the upper of a pair of hole-in-the-hole shoes. The shoes of the cave only cost 430 yuan. Although in the eyes of many people, it is also incomprehensible to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a pair of "sandals", but under the background of shoe flowers, the price of the shoes themselves seems approachable.

As the "originator" of cave shoes, the price of cave shoes produced by the American brand Crocs has always been not very down-to-earth, and the price of classic conventional models is generally between 300 and 400 yuan, while popular styles such as clouds, puffs and light wheels are priced at 499 yuan, 599 yuan and 719 yuan respectively in the official mini program.

The price of the shoe flower that decorates the upper hole is also ranging from 38 to 58 yuan. According to the calculation of 26 holes in a pair of shoes, filling the entire upper with the cheapest shoe flower will cost 988 yuan for the shoe flower alone, far exceeding the hole shoes themselves.

▲ Lan Lan spent 1086 yuan to buy two sets of shoes, focusing on sweet and cool metal style and dopamine sweetheart style. Photo / Courtesy of the interviewee

But it is such a shoe that has been bought by young people.

Back in early May, Lan Lan happened to walk into a Crocs store while shopping, and this was her first time in a Dongdong shoe store.

Originally, she just wore it with the mentality of giving it a try, but she didn't expect that the moment she stood up, she was hit by the soft, wrapped comfort of the shoes, "the key can be increased". The bells and whistles in the store that can DIY your own shoes also attracted her attention. was about to place an order, but the clerk pointed to the hole shoes on her feet and told her: "This one is more popular, the code is broken, and 618 will be replenished." ”

Walking out of the store, Lan Lan immediately searched for the same style on the whole network, and finally placed an order for a pair of 39-yard white light wheel shoes on Dewu, and the price of more than 400 yuan was much cheaper than the store price.

Lan Lan was born in 2002 and is still in college. For her, owning a pair of shoes is like a kind of "fashion right" that people of the same age group are chasing. Every time I glanced at the class, almost a third of the students in the class wore a pair of hole shoes, in various colors and styles.

In the eyes of another group of consumers, hole shoes have become a rigid need in some scenes.

Two weeks after joining the media company, the editing work that stayed up late made Lin Zhi's feet swollen and swollen after 90s. Working from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. ("three" at 3 a.m.), wearing ordinary sneakers at the workstation is tantamount to torture for her, and a pair of comfortable, foot-free shoes has become a rigid need.

In Lin Zhi's memory, the cave shoes were popular ten years ago, but at that time they were the undisputed "ugly shoes". Nowadays, "what is ugly or not, just wear it". She put aside her prejudices and bought a pair of "Crocs Flat", which "opened the door to a new world", and on the surface she looked at "working there like a dog", but actually quietly took off her shoes under the workstation, secretly refreshing at the same time, she couldn't help but feel empty, praying that no colleagues would come to her.

26-year-old He Yang also became a fan of cave shoes after an emergency. While dancing, she accidentally injured her ankle, and her swollen foot couldn't fit into any of her shoes. He Yang couldn't delay his work if he broke his foot, so He Yang could only grit his teeth and wear hole-in-the-hole shoes for a few weeks. The shoe holds the forefoot and toes in place while also holding the bandaged ankle. The person concerned said with emotion: "The cave shoes saved one of the few decent things I had after I was injured." ”

Many years ago, when He Yang first came to Beijing, he was frightened by the scene of people wearing holes and shoes per capita. In her opinion, such shoes are not only dirty, but also exude a "smell" that is visible to the naked eye. Now, she's completely changed and says "It's so fragrant." ”

▲ Crocs cave shoes. Photo / Visual China

Cave shoes, which were once regarded as "fashion tumors", have become popular in the past two years and have become the "Niu Hulu Cave Shoes" sought after by many young people. There are also many people who ridicule the hole-in-the-hole shoes on their feet as "cockroaches in the shoe world", completing a "species invasion" - whether it is a workplace, subway, shopping mall or park, they can always be seen; Since I put it on, no matter how cold or hot it is, there is no possibility of other shoes seeing the light of day again.

The popularity of young people for cave shoes is reflected in the financial report of Crocs' parent company.

In the first quarter of 2024, Crocs' revenue increased by 6.2% year-on-year to US$939 million (about 6.8 billion yuan). Among them, the performance of the Chinese market is particularly outstanding. In the first quarter of this year, Crocs' revenue in China increased by a triple digit year-on-year. This is even better than the previous quarter, with Crocs' revenue in China growing by more than 80% in the fourth quarter of 2023 – which means that even in the autumn and winter, the traditional off-season for cave shoes, there are many consumers who are passionate about paying for them.

Comfort and practicality are the biggest virtues of cave shoes in the mouth of fans. The believers who worship the "cave door" have invented a set of "cave door literature" - "once you pass through the cave shoes, you will be stereotyped in this life" and "wear the hole shoes, only 0 times and countless times".

Many new "cave people" found that they could no longer find a second pair of shoes that integrated leisure, sports and part-time work scenes in addition to cave shoes. Whether it's shopping, walking, going to work, or going downstairs to take out the trash, you can go out with just one foot on your feet.

Cantonese rhubarb, "hole age" for 14 years, has bought four pairs of cave shoes for himself so far, and has always adhered to the purpose of not changing the sole without wearing. In 2010, Rhubarb walked into the Dongdong shoes store for the first time, and felt extremely comfortable and convenient after trying them on, and "entered the pit vertically" on the spot - although the pair of Beja flat shoes were also one of the origins of the criticism of "ugly" Dongdong shoes. In Rhubarb's impression, there were many boys on the college campus at that time wearing these hole shoes to play basketball.

The explosion of cave shoes in the past two years also made Rhubarb start to think: if Crocs cave shoes are cheaper, can they become provincial shoes for Cantonese people.

▲ The Crocs Beya flat model often worn by rhubarb. Photo / Courtesy of the interviewee

Cave shoes are hot, and cottage carnivals

Although "cave science" is popular, but specifically, the price of worshipping the "cave gate" is rich and frugal.

In this era when replacement is popular and the desire for consumption is greatly reduced, Lin Zhi and He Yang are only willing to spend dozens of yuan to buy comfort, "the genuine version is too expensive". And Lan Lan bought high-priced cave shoes because she had suffered from replacement, stepped on her feet and went out for a few turns, and a hard injury appeared-

The knock-off cave shoes, which are titled "Ping", are not monolithically formed like the Crocs, and the insole is designed separately, which leads to a pair of "boats" full of stagnant water after wearing them out on rainy days. If the insole is not taken out to bask in the sun alone, the water in the small pit under the insole will also give her a "surprise" when she wears shoes the next time, and she will have a wet smell.

In addition, Lan Lan couldn't tell what kind of material the shoes were made of, and a smell of rubber was always looming. What's worse is that buying shoes with holes is to be comfortable, but the "flat model" is a bit against human nature to wear, and the soles are small bumps in anti-slip design, each of which is very hard, and if you don't wear socks, your feet will be panicked.

▲ Different from the genuine version in the picture, the part circled by the copycat version is densely packed with protrusions, which is quite awkward. Photo / Courtesy of the interviewee

As for the decorative shoe flowers, Lan Lan has not considered the replacement, and the advantages are cheap, but as soon as the color is wet, it will fall off in a sparse manner, and she is worried that the rust of the metal shoe flowers will be printed directly on the cave shoes, which is also a genuine version of hundreds of yuan, which is a little distressing.

Looking back at the history of Crocs, it is also the history of fighting with cottage cave shoes.

In the official advertisement, the Crocs shoes are made of a special resin material called Croslite, which is waterproof and lightweight, different from plastic and rubber, can inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi, and can also become softer with body temperature, more conforming to the contours of the foot, and extremely comfortable to wear. This is the biggest difference between genuine and copycat shoes, and it also paves the way for Crocs to pave a classic marketing idea: expensive is expensive.

But the copycat party, which has always believed that there is no price that cannot be beaten, has been eyeing this pair of "ugly shoes" more than ten years ago.

In 2008, copycat cave shoes were rampant, and Crocs' genuine cave shoes were unsalable in the Chinese market. With a large inventory backlog, the company decided to "snow hidden shoes" and put the shoes they were proud of on the innermost side of the shelves to increase the exposure of other products.

This move directly allowed Crocs' fist products to go through 7 years of being buried, and it was not until 2015 that cave shoes were put back in the first place. Crocs reflected: "Cave shoes are a big business, but we have neglected them all these years. ”

This company has not stopped defending its rights against knockoff shoes. In 2021, because more than 20 companies such as Walmart sold pirated shoes, Crocs also sued them in court, and finally won the lawsuit, with a total compensation of 6.055 million US dollars (about 40 million yuan).

But compared to the vast market occupied by copycat cave shoes, these compensation is not much. According to some statistics, the market share ratio of cottage cave shoes and Crocs is about 10:1, which means that people who wear genuine cave shoes are rare customers among the majority of "cave door people".

In addition to the cave shoes themselves, the shoe flower has now become the hardest hit area of the cottage. This product, which is officially called "Zhibixing" by Crocs, also has a variety of "replacements" on the e-commerce platform. As long as you search for "Dongdong Shoe Flowers", those shoe flowers with texture and design that look similar to the official ones will appear on the homepage of major platforms.

▲ "Hole Shoes and Shoes" search page. Figure / Taobao screenshot

The price is the biggest advantage of copycat shoe flowers. A complete set ranges from 20 to 100 yuan, and the monthly sales of the top stores almost all reach two or three thousand orders. The two sets Lan Lan selected at the counter are only 45 yuan for one set online, and the consumption of two sets is not more than 100. And the same configuration came to the store, and the two sets of shoes cost thousands of yuan, a difference of ten times.

Even handmade DIY shoe buckle accessories have become a hot business, and you can buy a bag of glue and parts set mixed with 10 back buckles for less than 10 yuan. On social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, there are also a lot of shoes and flowers to share with each other, and there are business opportunities between the lines: those who want to show their personality and be different from others, but also don't want to use their brains to match, can jump into the product link and "copy homework" with one click.

Knockoffs certainly make Crocs anxious, but they can't seem to do anything about it. Even the sales staff in the store have learned to observe words and colors, and gain insight into consumer psychology - in order to increase the probability of making an order for the shoes, when you choose the shoes and face is difficult, they will suggest in a timely manner: "Dear can bring our shoes first, these shoes, back to a certain treasure and a lot, cheaper, and more choices." ”

Ugly shoe revival

Crocs was born out of a trip by three American men 23 years ago.

One of the men, who suffered a series of darkest moments such as unemployment, divorce, death of his mother, and loss of his house, two of his friends took him to the Caribbean for boating and hot springs in order to encourage him. During their travels, the trio discovered that they could come up with a shoe suitable for rowing, and at the end of 2002, the hole-ridden Crocs were born, nicknamed Crocodile.

In just one year, the shoes sold $1.2 million in sales and are popular with seafarers, chefs, athletes and healthcare workers. After that, with the breaking of the circle of influence, the cave shoes quickly broke through the dimensional wall and appeared on the feet of people from all walks of life who chased comfortable clothing.

But for so many years in the shoe industry, "ugly" has always been the biggest topic around the hole shoes - how many people love it, how many people dislike it and don't want to take a second look.

Back in 2006, an article in the Washington Post compared Crocs' hole-in-the-hole shoes to "pests," describing them as "ugly." By 2010, Time magazine listed the cave shoes as one of the "50 worst inventions" of all time. In a 2015 dress guide issued by Citigroup to Hong Kong employees, the Cross shoes were prominently listed in the "What should not be worn at any time".

The emotions of disgusters and enthusiasts are fiercely opposed. A Facebook page called "I don't care how comfortable Crocs are, but you look like a" amassed a staggering 1.2 million followers at one point; There are also people who threaten to burn all the Crocs. As soon as fans heard that Crocs had closed the factory, they launched an appeal for "SAVE OUR CROCS", fearing that their loved ones would quit the market.

Crocs knows the ugliness of the shoes, and more than a decade ago, the company launched the slogan "Ugly is Beautiful". Since 2017, they have boldly played cross-border co-branding and carried out "ugly beauty" to the end.

At Paris Fashion Week in October 2017, the luxury brand Balenciaga took out a 10cm flatform hole shoe in cooperation with Crocs, which once made the fashion circle and beyond.

▲ In 2017, Balenciaga and Crocs cooperated to launch cave shoes, which sparked heated discussions. Diagram / Network

The sweetness of the flow, taste it once and never regret it. In 2021, Balenciaga and Crocs launched a "ugly" co-branded cave shoes, which continue to jump repeatedly in the minefield of public aesthetics. If you think of it as a high heel, it has a face with a hole in the shoe; If it's a pair of hole-in-the-hole shoes, the heel is as high as it is, and the comfort doesn't stick to it at all.

But just as jaw-dropping as its appearance is how much hipsters love it — the $1,000 "ugly shoe" sold out quickly on launch day.

▲ Balenciaga and Crocs co-branded cave shoes. Diagram / Network

Despite the scolding on the Internet, hipster stars have become fans of cave shoes: Canadian singer Justin Bieber wore the Hard Crocs series to attend the Grammy Awards, American musician Kanye West wore thick-soled high-top hole boots in her private clothes, and sister-in-law Victoria directly sent out daily updates with the background of hole shoes...... Cave shoes completely tear off the rustic label, even if a considerable number of people still think it is ugly, but they also begin to accept it silently, that may be an incomprehensible fashion.

At present, the popularity of cave shoes has also caught up with the east wind of "ugly shoe revival".

Since last year, the "Ugly Shoes Trio" has begun to take over the summer streets – in addition to the hole-in-the-hole shoes, Birkenstocks and Lisbon sandals, they have replaced high heels and small white shoes as the "relaxed" outfit of the middle class.

Despite being dubbed the "ugly shoe", Birkenstock, the brand behind Birkenstock, has a history of more than 100 years. Like its "ugly pair" shoes, although Birkenstock shoes are ugly, the price is not cheap, and the price of thousands of yuan at every turn discourages ordinary consumers, while allowing the middle class to show off their taste in a low-key manner.

The earning power of Birkenstock shoes is not inferior to that of cave shoes. In fiscal 2023, Birkenstock's full-year sales increased by 20% year-on-year to €1.49 billion, and the company proudly said that 2023 was the most successful year for sales in the brand's nearly 250-year history.

Such a proud achievement is largely due to the hit of last year's movie "Barbie". In the film, Barbie gave up the high heels that she used to wear when going out, replaced them with a pair of classic brown Birkenstocks, and went to the "real world" outside Barbieland. Back to reality, according to foreign media statistics, the sales of Birkenstock shoes soared by 340% after the movie was released.

▲ Birkenstock shoes in the movie "Barbie". Photo / Stills

Also known as the "Three Ugly Shoes" is the Lisbon sandals, which seem to be the sandals worn by retired old cadres at the end of the last century, and the academic name also reveals a rustic atmosphere - Lisbon fisherman's sandals.

But it was this pair of sandals that made the toes "still hug the pipa and half cover the face", but in 2023, Vouge magazine named the most fashionable shoe of the quarter, and compared with the same period in 2022, the sales increase was even more than three times higher than the Birkenstock shoes that were popular at that time.

▲ Lisbon fisherman sandals. Diagram / Network

In contrast, there are fewer and fewer occasions for high heels, and it has become a general trend for young people to abandon high heels. Especially after the downgrade of consumption, "bad dressing" and "disgusting dressing" have become the protective colors of young people in the workplace - wearing an ugly shoe with a strange shape is not only comfortable, but also can be used to laugh at yourself and adjust your mood. Whether it is high heels or light luxury bags, they have become the bubble of old dreams, and dust is their current destination.

(At the request of the interviewee, the names of the characters in this article have been changed.) ）

Resources:

[1] Lilac Life Research Institute, "Don't Wear Holes in Summer, Be Careful and Become Unlucky!" 》

[2] Jin Wrong Knife "Genuine Lost to a Copycat? The father of cave shoes, wielding a knife from the palace! 》

[3] Youpin Research Institute "A pair of 800 pieces! This pair of ugly shoes made by the United States is crazy in China? 》

[4] DT Finance "From disliking "true fragrance", why are young people so interested in cave shoes? 》

[5] Tiger Sniff "Put on Ugly Cave Shoes, Step on the Exquisite Old World"

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