Schools in at least 12 U.S. states have banned students from wearing Crocs. The reason for the ban is that students often fall and get hurt while wearing Crocs. Some schools point out that students are often distracted by Crocs. This is because there are times when they play with crocs or throw crocs to their friends in class.
According to Bloomberg on Monday (local time), Lavelle Middle School in Florida issued a dress code stating, “Always wear safe shoes. No open-ended shoes, bedroom slippers or shower shoes. All shoes should have straps or heels on their heels,” and added, “Crocs are not allowed.”
Social media TikTok shows teenagers slipping in Crocs and falling in school corridors one after another. According to a survey by Jessica Ramirez, a senior research analyst at Jane Harley and Associates, Croc-related accidents have increased over the past few years compared to other shoes. Fortune said, “This is because the Croc brand’s popularity among the younger generation has increased tremendously.”
Generation Z and Alpha are enthusiastic about Crocs. According to a biennial survey of American youth conducted by Piper Sandler, a U.S. brokerage firm, Crocs have always been included in the top 10 favorite shoe brands of Generation Z over the past two years. “Crocs’ popularity is dependent on customized Z-Beats and partnerships with youth-friendly brands such as Shrek and Fortnite,” Ramirez said.
This helped Crocs achieve record sales earlier this year. Crocs shares are up 55% over the past 12 months. However, there are also predictions that the Crocs ban, which some schools have put out, will cause problems with Crocs sales in the future. “When you buy products used in schools, the brand is important,” Neil Saunders, Retail Management Director at Global Data, told Bloomberg. “There is no indication that the Crocs ban is affecting sales yet, but it certainly doesn’t help at all.”
In addition, as Crocs’ popularity among the younger generation soars, it is also burdensome for Crocs to argue that the shoes could pose a safety threat to toddlers, energetic elementary and middle school students.
Dr. Meghan Leahy, an orthopedic surgeon at the Illinois Institute of Bone and Joints, saw that children and adults fall more often when they wear Crocs than closed toe shoes with hard heel support on HuffPost. In addition to more falls, Dr. Pria Partasarati, a spokesperson for the American Orthopedic Medicine Association, said, “Crocs do not provide enough arch support and can maintain moisture on the skin’s surface, resulting in blisters.”
In response, Crocs responded to Bloomberg by saying he was “not aware of the proven data that the ban was on the rise” and that banning shoes from schools was “perplexing.”
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
