During the pandemic, especially during lockdown, Crocs enjoyed a surge in popularity thanks to the shoe’s easy-to-slip-on nature. However, as regular activities have resumed, the craze for crocs remains fierce.
According to the New York Times, while stock prices for other pandemic winners like Peloton, Etsy and Zoom have all dropped, Crocs’ stocks have increased by a whopping 167% since January 2020. The brand owes its longevity to a consistent stream of new products, effective marketing and celebrities sporting the shoes at award shows. And one of those driving that Crocs train has been innovative designer Salehe Bembury.
Salehe Bembury has singlehandedly changed the way that we see Crocs, thanks to his multitude of Pollex clogs and slides and his directional aesthetic, which began as an exploration of the human fingerprint in 3D form. As a result of the collab’s undeniable success, the designer has been named Creative Director of the Crocs x Pollex Pod collection, announcing a two-year partnership that will see Bembury introducing new styles, designs and colorways.
According to Hypebae, the innovative partnership first began in 2021 when Crocs slid into the designer’s DMs and has since gone on to create sell-out releases across all its colorways and silhouettes, responsible for one of the fastest-ever global sell-throughs for a Crocs collaboration.
“We exist in a landscape of ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ collaborations, so the value lies in long-term relationships and that’s what we’ve established. Good design exercises restraint and balances utility with beauty and the Pollex Pod represents that by successfully merging Crocs’ brand identity with my own brand identity,” said Salehe Bembury in a press release.
Bembury’s first release within the Pollex Pod collection is set to be announced later this Spring, drawing inspiration from his original Pollex clog motif.
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