origins of the ugg boot

Posted on 2010-Feb-19 at 06:06 - Post Comment

origins of the ugg boot

There has been considerable dispute over the origins of the ugg boot style, with both Australia and New Zealand claiming to have  been the originators of the footwear. Nevertheless, it appears that the boots were used by aviators during World War I, who referred to them as "fug boots" (surmised to be a shortened form of "flying ugg boots"),[4] and that they were present in rural regions of Australia during the 1920s. While it is not clear when manufacturing started, by 1933, ugg boots were being manufactured by Blue Mountains Ugg Boots, and Mortels Sheepskin Factory were making the boots from the late 1950s.

In the 1960s, ugg boots became a popular option for competitive surfers,[6] who used the boots to keep their feet warm after exiting from the surf. It was surfing which helped popularise the boots outside of Australia and New Zealand, when surfer Brian Smith started selling the boots in the United States through the company Ugg Holdings, Inc. in 1979. Later, ugg boots emerged as a fashion trend in the United States, with celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Pamela Anderson choosing to wear the boots, creating increased demand. However, Pamela Anderson renounced ugg boots in 2007 upon realising that they were made from animal skin.

The terms ugg boots, ugh boots and ug boots have been used as generic terms for sheepskin boots in Australia and New Zealand since at least the 1970s,although individual accounts have suggested that the terms (or variations thereof) were employed earlier. The 1970s saw the emergence of advertising using the names, but Brian Smith has stated that the boots were referred to as "uggs" long before the word was trademarked (in 1971), and Frank Mortel claims uggs outlet to have been making ugg boots under the "ugg" name since 1958.

Ugg boots are traditionally made from sheepskin. The wool is tanned into the leather, and the upper part of the boot is assembled with the fleece on the inside. The soles of the boots are made from rubber, and the stitching is often prominent on the outside of the boot. The fleece draws away moisture, keeping the feet dry nike outle and at body temperature.