What Does the Balenciaga "UGG" Say About the World's Most Basic Boot?
The temperature is dropping, which means two things: Mariah Carey is somewhere thawing out ahead of Christmas and, yes, it's officially UGG season.
But the UGG season of today looks much different than it did in the late aughts, when Juicy Couture tracksuits reigned supreme, and Blackberry cellphones were peak technology. Back then, UGG boots were indulgently, knowingly tacky but so comfy that who could care?
Now, UGG is straight-up fashion. And still so comfy.
Balenciaga's Alaska Boot is proof that UGG has arrived, as if we didn't already know. This is a new edition of shoe that Balenciaga first developed in 2023, a platformed marvel kitted with a bulbous toe and thick rubber sole.
This Balenciaga boot may take on an exaggerated silhouette but it maintains the standard components of a classic UGG boot, though the suede exterior is super plush and the typical fleece lining is replaced with faux shearling. Still, it says something about UGG, you know?
In the last decade, UGG boots have ebbed and flowed in terms of mainstream popularity, enough to become huge, huge enough to often be written off as a "basic" shoe associated with plaid shirts and pumpkin spice lattes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
But UGG is now so much more. Look at the fire collaborations it's burn churning out over the past few years, especially as of late 2023.
After a series of adventurous outings with innovative labels like Telfar, Wales Bonner, The Elder Statesman, and especially Y/PROJECT, UGG has become so satisfyingly normalized as a luxury that it's even landed a mega-western collaboration with super-hyped streetwear brand Gallery Dept. Yeehaw and such.
UGG's PR team even sent out a triumphant email in early October headlined, in all caps: "UGG TAKES OVER SPRING/SUMMER 2025 RUNWAYS GLOBALLY." UGG did indeed show up at the presentations of international young labels like Shuting Qiu and Tokyo James, mere days after debuting a campaign starring Post Malone. UGG can do it all, big and small.
This omnipresence, amplified by homages from big fashion houses like Balenciaga, is proof that UGG's signature boots are beyond trend. You know you're a veritable establishment when the luxury labels start calling (or not).
Taking a page from the books of other brands is a common occurrence for Balenciaga, which also offers Birkenstock-flavored offerings. But there is a certain je ne sais quoi possessed by the $1,300 Alaska boot, especially amongst TikTok's fashion-obsessed, a power at least partially boosted by obvious UGG connotations.
Chunky, soft, comfy — there are a lot of things you can call UGG boots. But basic? Never.
