How Crocs Became Finger-Lickin Relevant Again

The strangest Crocs collab with Kentucky Fried Chicken is about to roll out: Crocs that look like a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken topped with chicken-scented drumstick Jibbitz charms. 

 Yes, you read it right. See for yourself: 

The things dreams are made of, right? They’ll be sold on Crocs’ website starting July 28th. The yummy shoes will be sold at $60 a pair in limited quantities, and $3 from each pair will go towards the KFC Foundation’s scholarship fund for employees. 

“Crocs and KFC’s collaboration feels high fashion to me,” said artist and social media influencer, MLMA, who is also the face of the collaboration. 

“Because they are doing something different, that’s fun and creative… Why not?” 

According to the companies, the charms are actually made to “resemble and smell like fried chicken.” The real question is, WHY? 

This comes at a time when many seem to think that Crocs are back in fashion. Tons of influencers are sporting them on social media, for instance. And, Grazia Magazine, says they’re “the most polarizing footwear in the fashion world.” 

Maybe what helped propel them back into relevancy, at least to some degree, is their great efforts of helping the world. 

This past December, for instance, they collaborated with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, a famous Indian actress, who started a very special initiative with the brand. 

She posted the partnership on her Instagram account, which reads, “What started as a conversation with @crocs of shared interests and concerns for the children of the world, has blossomed into this amazing association with @unicef, an organization that is so close to my heart. We’ve partnered with @crocs to donate 50,000 pairs of Crocs Classic Clogs to deserving school children in Belize and provide them with a basic necessity like shoes, which will play a role in getting these kids to school. 

Crocs’ mission is to help everyone around the world be comfortable in their own shoes, and Belize is just the start. We hope to take this wonderful initiative to children in countries around the world. @unicefusa @unicef #Partner“. 

The simple rubber foam shoe has long been a favorite of medical staff. Fittingly, Crocs donated 860,000 pairs globally to health care workers on the frontlines of COVID-19. 

“If you are a health care professional in need of our easy-to-clean, comfortable Croc shoes, we’ve got you covered,” Crocs said on Instagram in March. 

As for proactively supporting social minorities, at the beginning of July, just after Pride month, Crocs partnered with Amsterdam social, creative agency Hey Honey for its social media content creation. 

We like the timing of it for two reasons: 1) June was jam-packed with Pride campaigns, so waiting with it for July gives your campaign more room on the stage. And 2) It shows that major causes such as Pride are always important, and always relevant, not just when the calendar says so. 

For this campaign, Crocs teamed up with Josh McKenna, the British Illustrator famous for the original “Sashaying” sticker and London’s Pride Wall. 

“When I was approached to illustrate this visual for the Crocs Pride activation, I was more than excited to collaborate. I work with many brands on Pride activations every year, and as a rule, I only like to work with those who are proactively helping the LGBT+ community,” said Josh. 

“Crocs’ mantra of encouraging everyone to be comfortable in their own skin/shoes and its messaging, ‘Come As You Are,’ is all about freedom of expression and individuality, just like Pride. A notion I carry through a style of illustration and what inspired me to create this artwork for Crocs.” 

Tying it all back to the beginning, if you’re eager to get your hands on Crocs’ finger-lickin‘ shoes, note that there are already bids for the pair on the popular shoe secondary marketplace, StockX, for over 150% of retail value. And yes, it is still not quite clear why.