Crocs' Chunky New Slip-On Is Part Sneaker Part Clog
Is there anything Crocs can’t turn its hand to?
In the last 12 months alone, Crocs has released everything from everyday clogs and cozy house shoes to hiking slip-ons and actual sneakers, all of which have been realised in that archetypal Crocs-y rubbery way we’ve become accustomed to.
Now, though, for 2024, Crocs is launching its chunky Echo Storm silhouette: a super-stacked YEEZY-like shoe that is as much of a sneaker as it is a rubbery slip-on clog.
The Echo Storm’s progressively bold and exaggerated design (something of a normality for Crocs nowadays) builds on the Boulder-based footwear label’s popular Echo collection.
However, this time around, Crocs is making proceedings a little more sneaker-like by removing the epochal Crocs heel strap from the rear and transforming the silhouette into a fully enclosed slip-on model.
Arriving in a myriad of typically bold colorways, Crocs’ Echo Storm is the perfect balance between comfort and self-expression thanks to a blend of molded Croslite (the brand’s proprietary rubber material) , a distinctly exaggerated Crocs upper, and ventilation holes for good measure.
Sure, the Echo Storm is outlandish — but then again, Crocs has made that its thing, right?
In fact, over the past few years, Crocs has garnered itself a reputation of being much more than just the maker of crazy Classic Clogs, but instead a brand that makes objectively great looking shoes.
From high-profile collaborations with Balenciaga and Palace and tounge-in-cheek releases like its cowboy boots, to a foray into the world of sneakers led by Salehe Bembury, Crocs has successfully dipped its toes into a whole variety of new footwear realms.
Now, though, with the Echo Storm, Crocs is creating an entirely realm of its own: one that’s seeing the amalgamation of sneakers and rubber clogs, a Frankenstein footwear concoction I never thought I’d see. Yet here we are.