Ten years ago, if I were to tell you that UGG boots would be among the top 10 hottest fashion brands of 2025, you probably wouldn’t believe me. Once the footwear of choice of college girls who also thought leggings were trousers (they’re not), their meteoric rise to the top of the fashion charts in recent years has been surprising.
The Lyst Index, a quarterly ranking of fashion’s hottest brands and products, released their most recent report and while the usual suspects still dominated the charts (Miu Miu, unsurprisingly is at number one, followed by Saint Laurent and Prada), there were more than a few surprises. UGG and COS were two high street brands that edged their way into the top 20 hot list with UGG sitting cooly at number 10 and COS at 17.
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According to Lyst the demand for UGG is unprecedented, with searches are up 358% over the last three months, and up 12% year on year.
Gen Z no doubt has powered this skyrocketing demand, in part thanks to the gorpcore trends of seasons past, favouring utilitarian styles and comfort shoes, but also perhaps coming from a collective nostalgia for Y2K fashion when UGGs were dubbed one of “Oprah’s favourite things of 2003.”
UGG’s popularity was also helped by a plethora of celebrities, and not just any celebrities, A-listers like Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna who are often snapped in their favourite shearling boots.
Just a few weeks ago, Rihanna made headlines for styling her Palace x UGG Tasman Slippers with aplomb, a slip-on style from one of UGG’s most successful, sell-out collaborations with a London-based skateboarding and clothing brand.
These collaborations have been integral to UGG’s up-branding from a cushy thermal shoe to a coveted fashion item. If you look closely at their collaboration partners, they are not necessarily with the most well-known brands of the moment, but rather often cult labels that either reflect UGG’s origins or values or tap into a discerning crowd of tastemakers. Palace for instance, is known for its distinctive ’90s influence, often incorporating VHS-style visuals in its marketing, and Telfar, another recent brand partner, is widely considered one of the coolest black-owned emerging fashion labels helmed by queer Liberian-America, Telfar Clemens.
Last week, at men’s fashion week, UGG launched yet another collaboration, this time with super-cool Japanese label Sacai, which featured yeti fur boots and shearing-lined, knee high boots. I have never owned a pair of UGGs, but even I couldn’t help but share the images with my fashion friends with a simple one-word caption underneath: “Need.”
Women in my circle whom I never thought I’d catch in a shearing boot even for a grocery run have also started sporting the UGG clogs, the slip-on style that features a small platform heel that has now become the expected pairing with the super wide-legged jeans also making a comeback.
Such is the prevalence of this Australian brand to have edged out Gucci and Jacquemus to become the must-own shoe in everyone’s wardrobes. According to Lyst, their Ultra Mini Boot came in at the number 2 on the hottest products lists, just under Coach’s Brooklyn bag that went viral after Bella Hadid put her stamp of approval on the affordable luxury bag, and before Miu Miu’s oversized fleece jacket. In fact, a look at the rest of the hot products list (the COS cashmere jumper, & Daughter’s red Ada cardigan, and Massimo Dutti’s penny loafer) will tell you, gone are the days of teetering to the tube in sky-high stilettos. Women today want comfort, preferably at an accessible price-point and UGG leading the charge.
