 |
| A very old photo of my brothers pretending to be bogans in their ugg boots. Faces covered to protect the guilty. |
This is a little bit different from what I usually write about, but I hope you all find it interesting. No pictures as yet, but I hope to add some tomorrow – if there are any Aussie readers who have older photographs of ugg boots I could use please get in touch as I haven’t yet been able to find any.
Ugg boots in one form or another have been worn since the early twentieth century in Australia and New Zealand. Like many Antipodean inventions, the two countries like to argue over who should take credit, but nonetheless a sheepskin boot has been worn in those countries for at least 90 years. No-one can be entirely sure who first started calling them ugg boots, but an article in the Wall Street Journal gives this overview:
“Described as ugs, uggs or ughs (all shorthand for “ugly”), the name goes back as far as World War I, when Australian pilots were said to have kept their legs from freezing in unpressurized cockpits with “flying uggs”—“fugs”—sheepskin boots that reached well above their knees. Shearers, who, according to legend, had been wearing scraps of sheepskin tied around their feet for warmth since the late 19th century, picked up the term during the 1920s, and, in 1933, a company called Blue Mountains Ugg Boots began producing uggs in a rural region just west of Sydney.”
From their beginnings with First World War aviators and farmers in 1920s rural Australia, uggs began to be pulled on by surfers in the 60s as they came out of the water, and by the 1980s when I was growing up almost every child and adult had a pair to wear as slippers around the house. Ugg boots had become an intrinsic part of our lifestyle.
The majority of Australians were thus bemused when ugg boots went from being a slipper worn at home to a desirable fashion item. Suddenly in the mid-90s uggs became globally popular as actors in LA started wearing them on set and being snapped by paparazzi. Rapidly, they transformed from being a slipper that Antipodeans wore only indoors (the shame if you were caught outside in your uggs!), to something that was worn with shorts or jeans out of doors. Today, the boot that was originally worn by pilots and farmers is perceived as being an effeminate item of clothing, and is rarely worn by men anywhere other than New Zealand or Australia.
The company now most associated with this popular style of sheepskin boot is known as Ugg Australia, registered as Deckers Outdoor Corporation. Now for a few facts.
- Deckers Outdoor Corporation is a US company based in California. Ugg Australia is NOT an Australian company.
-The majority of Ugg Australia footwear is manufactured in China, with a small portion taking place in New Zealand. This is clearly stated on page 6 of the company accounts which you can read through via their website here. (page 7,14, 15). “All of our third party manufacturers are in China and New Zealand with substantially all production performed by a limited number of manufacturers in China, with planned 2010 production in Vietnam as well.” Ugg Australia boots are NOT manufactured in Australia.
- The sheepskin itself is sourced from three tanneries in China, who buy their skins from Europe, the US, and Australia. Again, this is in the annual report of the company (page 7,14, 15). Ugg Australia sheepskin is only sourced IN PART from Australia.
- The name ‘ugg’ was first trademarked by Brian Smith in 1979 when he began importing the boots to the US, despite the fact that this style of boot had long been generically known as an ugg in Australia and New Zealand. Under trademark law, a generic name for an item CANNOT be registered as a trademark (so for instance, you cannot trademark the word ‘candle’ or ‘bread’). The company and trademark were sold to Decker Corporation in 1995, and the word ugg is now trademarked in over 100 countries. The exception is Australia and New Zealand who have successfully had it removed from the trademark register after a decade of nasty legal tussles. This means that any company selling sheepskin boots in those countries can legally call them uggs – reasonably enough since this is how they have always been known. The term ugg is a GENERIC name for any sheepskin boot, and should never have been trademarked.
- Amusingly, on page 8 of their accounts they state: “Due to the popularity of our UGG products, we face increasing competition from a significant number of competitors selling imitation products.” If I wasn’t clear before, let me restate the facts. Sheepskin boots have been made, worn, and called ugg boots in Australia since the 1920s. If anyone is guilty of imitation here, it is the Decker Corporation.
- “At December 31, 2009, we employed approximately one thousand employees in the US, Europe and Asia, none of whom were represented by a union.” (my own italics)
When Decker Corporation took over the ugg trademark in 1995, they proceeded to target any small business using the word ugg and serve them with ‘cease and desist’ orders, thereby crippling the local industry. Their bully boy tactics drew the attention of an outraged Australian public, and eventually the company was taken to court by the West Australian company Uggs-N-Rugs in 2005. Decker lost the case and the phrase ‘ugh-boots’ was removed from the Australian trademark register, allowing businesses once again to use the term which had been in existence since the 1920s.
However. Due to the powerful marketing produced by the Decker Corporation for Ugg Australia, most people in the rest of the world now believe that the word ugg is a brand name. Australian companies that call their boots uggs are seen as fakes, so sheepskin boot brands in Australia and New Zealand have found themselves unable to participate in the lucrative global industry. A trademark that should never have been awarded is still punishing manufacturers and traders in the original countries of invention. And due to the fact that most people perceive ugg to be a brand name rather than a generic term, it has proved impossible to remove the trademark from the register in other countries.
What can you do?
The correct name for a sheepskin boot is an ugg boot, so call them that – we should reclaim the name from a corporation who had no right to buy the trademark to a word in common usage. And buy your ugg boots from wherever you like, if it is a sheepskin boot then it is a genuine ugg.
Side note: In Australia and New Zealand ugg boots are usually only worn indoors as a house slipper – only bogans wear them outside (what the British would call a chav or Americans a redneck). Ugg boots are not designed to withstand water and the suede can be difficult to clean, so they are generally unsuitable for outdoor use. In addition, the rubber sole does not have an adequate level of arch support; most podiatrists agree that it simply isn’t good for your feet to wear ugg boots as an outdoor shoe.
Want to know more? Read this article from the Wall Street Journal, the entry on Wikipedia, the web page of the Australian Sheepskin Association, a brief history on the Whooga website and the Decker Outdoor Corporation company accounts.
1970s rose print full skirt by Cacharel 
1960s Halston for Bergdorf Goodman turban pattern 
1950s embroidered rose evening purse 
1960s blue daisy print baby doll smock dress 
1980s black and red prom dress by John Charles 
>Humm… that was interesting!
very well structured and very comprehensive… I've always felt that ugg must stand for ugly and never understood what's the difference between, what some of the people who owned a pair with the Ugg label, described as 'genuine' and 'knock offs'… they all look the same!
and so much better to be worn indoors… or by laid back surfers for a purpose… instead of chavy looking celebrities :)
>Interesting. I only wear mine to pop to my mum's or if I'm taking the rubbish out, so pretty much like slippers I suppose. I think they're far too chavtastic to be pounding the streets in. However, I have worn them to keep my feet warm in the snow, which was a majorly bad idea as like you say, they're definatley not waterproof x
>One of my best friends is from NZ and she finds it hilarious how much I love the term Bogan LOL!
Anyway I am a fan of Ugg Australia boots they are they best quality I have come accross for wearing outdoors (I do have the more boot looking ones than the regular style admittedly).
I do however find it insane that the word 'ugg' was ever allowed to be trademaked and it certainly should be revoked in the rest of the world. I am sat here writing in my slippers – Whooga uggs – and find it silly that they cannot be called uggs!!
I do think people should be more aware that alternative brands of sheepskin boots are not fakes or counterfeits, but those which use the Ugg Australia brand tag and are not actually manufactured by that company are counterfeit. It is a complex issue so hats off for helping people understand it.
Oh and should you consider listing a pair on ebay which aren't Ugg Australia brand and calling them uggs your account will be suspended!
>I've heaed about the trade name and theanufacturing issues before. How funny that they are only worn outside by chavs! I saw a boy and girl wearing matching pairs walking down the street once. They thought they were the biz. Morons.
>Thanks for your advice, I know I need to stop comparing myself to others, I suppose it's human nature though.
This was very interesting, I was vaguely aware the term ugg was independent from the brand but didn't realise quite how disgusting the company are!! They do seem to have become slighly chavvy here, with young girls wearing them with tracksuits etc. xx
>Hi my dear-I really enjoyed this post and what an eye opener too, on my search next year for sheepskin boots I will not only look at UGGs but different brands too, thanks so much for sharing xx
>Dear Margaret, Wow! I never new any of this. Thanks for a very enlightening post xx
>Very interesting. And isn't it interesting too that they have entered the conciousness as a rugged boot when as soon as they get wet, they're trashed. I had a pair as slippers last winter, wore them to put rubbish out in the snow and that was it. They got wet, stank like cabbage and went rock hard! What I hate about them is that girls don't pick their feet up to walk in them….they do the 'ugg shuffle'.
xxx
>How true! The difference between a 'F.UGG' (fake ugg) and an UGG is that an UGG of any brand is good quality sheepskin and constructed so they support the foot properly. There are lots of other brands which offer this type of quality- and without the hype-related lines outside shops or inflated prices.
>Oh that was fascinating – I had no idea about any of it. The power these corporations have is shocking. Even if the smaller companies are totally legally right, the amount it costs to take on battalions of lawyers must be crippling.
ps – am v. pleased you wear them indoors only!
>Very educational and enlightening post, my dear Margaret! You sertainly know your stuff.
I'm glad you only wear them as slippers and I hate seeing the way wearers slother around in them when I see them out and about in our town centre (usually accessorised by a velour tracksuit, a Greggs sausage roll and a buggy).
Bloody expensive slippers though. xxx
>Very interesting, thanks for that. My uggs are ideal for the tour bus, occasionally seen outside in a service station at 3 am !
>Hi again-I found this website, which seems to be a genuine Australian UGG boot site-the prices are very good too. http://www.uggstore.com.au/ They seem reputable, so I've bookmarked them for future reference. If you have heard anything about them good or bad, could you let me know! I'm so pleased I read your posts before buying my own pairs, it really is valuable information, thanks so much for sharing x
>Very interesting and educational post – thank you! Vix's comment really made me laugh, too!
>This was really interesting – nice write up!
xoxo ~ Courtney
http://sartorialsidelines.blogspot.com
>Love it that Uggs are traditionally bogan shoes..or slippers even. But why would countries that are traditionally so hot (NZ south Island excluded) create something that so much better suited to a northern hemisphere climate?
>Great post! So interesting. Thanks!
Lisa
Butterflies and Daisys Vintage
>Thank you for this enlightening post. I am glad you pointed out the slipper thing.
>Well said. Only BOGANS wear them outdoors (though I may have once or twice been spotted in mine on a hungover Sunday quick trip to Woolies!! the shame)
>love this post, a quick history lessen on uggs :)
ditchthetrend.blogspot.com
>Interesting post, I heard a little about the lawsuit and counter suit. Either way, I dislike any sort of ugg boot but I do wear my mum's at home…only at home!
>I found this interesting because I bought a pair of Ugg boots years ago…they were made by Rip Curl (aus company I think). I used to wear them when I got in from surfing as my feet would be numb (welsh waters). years later I found people walking round cities with them with jack wills pants tucked in for good measure…I found it disgusting how much these so called 'genuine' ugg boots cost compared to just your standard run off the mill ones.
>Wow! What an informative post!! Thanks so much for sharing. xo style, she wrote
>My #1 association with Uggs is all the spam I get promoting "replica" uggs.
>What a well-written piece, Dreadful. I personally am not a fan of outdoor wearing Uggs, which is all too prevalent in my hometown but have nothing against their original use: slipper/indoor feet cozy. And if I were a hot surfer chic, yah, I would skateboard in the fuzzy wonderment, BUT, you make it all so much more interesting by writing about the history and the facts. I am not at all surprised that a company that trademarked a generic term makes a product NOT from the country it purports to be from, does not use products from the country of origin, and has all the bits and pieces assembled in China.
Like Wendy above, I do tire of the "ugg"spam but now my association will be of this finely crafted article.
>Fascinating! As a fellow Aussie I'm with you on the uggs worn indoor only and by bogans. But I had no idea about any of the other legal wrangling over the term ugg or that the company associated with Ugg is American. Brilliant post!
>good to know x
>extremely interesting…and an eye-opener. I have a pair of Uggs but I don't think I will be buying them anymore and if I fancy a similar thing I will purposely got for alternative brands. You have convinced me!
>You're a love, Penny! Thanks for such a great post.
Did you see the doco 'The Good The Bad and The Ugg Boot'? I highly recommend it if you have the chance to watch it.
I have worn my Australian made ugg boots (non branded) until my toes have gone through them and I just keep wearing them – they are so warm and cosy in the horrible Canberra winters!
Do you remember Pamela Anderson wearing hers with her bikini at the beach? Holy crap, she is the Bogan Queen!
Sarah xxx
>Thank you! Jesus Christ, I hate seeing uggs all the time. That's all ANYONE here wears in the winter, and they look terrible. This article was so enlightening!