It’s pretty safe to assume Christopher Kane was far less surprised by the mixed reaction to his London Fashion Week Croc collaboration than the internet was at the sight of it. The divisive rubber clog is hardly the first piece of footwear to prove controversial before eventually — or hopefully, at least in the eyes of this pro-Croc writer — being adopted as a street style staple. Prada’s jewel-encrusted Tevas were scoffed at for six months before inevitably appearing in the windows of Zara. But Kane, who has been pioneering controversial footwear for years, wasn’t just trying to be the next sensible step in a trend timeline. “Crocs are great, I love them,” he told WWD quite unequivocally when asked why he chose to collaborate with the maligned brand.
“I don’t really care what anyone thinks. I don’t think anyone’s got the right to say right or wrong, unless they’re God, otherwise just shut up,” he continued at a launch for his 10-sweater capsule collection last night. “I knew people were going to react in that way, but it wasn’t about being controversial. The fact is Crocs is a huge successful business on its own, they don’t need me to make them even more successful. Obviously people do like them, and that’s a different customer that I want to grab. I want to include everyone and not be a snob.” Touché.
Hopefully Kane’s play for inclusivity means his Croc collab won’t be dreadfully expensive — though if anyone can convince people to fork out for rubber sandals with holes all through them, it’s the man who successfully charged $765 for feather-spewing neoprene sneakers fastened with oversized plastic safety buckles. Unless God has anything to say, something tells us he’ll be having the last laugh.
Related: Crocs on the runway: from dream to reality
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Text Hannah Ongley
Image via Twitter