Style
Forget Bad Bunny and Justin Bieber, these are the wildest Crocs ever
Upcycling whiz Nicole McLaughlin is getting her own clogs meant for exploring
Nicole McLaughlin, the designer and artist known for her upcycled creations, is joining in on the Year of the Croc. For her own collaborative pair set to release later this month, McLaughlin has piled on gear to make her clogs well equipped for the outdoors.
The all-black pair of Crocs come with ankle-length, maroon and olive gaiters that can be adjusted for a more snug fit. It's there that an included carabiner can be affixed, and four more attachments are included to be fastened to the Croc itself. A headlamp, paracord, stuff sack, and compass are packaged with the Crocs, which which make the $79 seem like a real bargain.
Is it a tad ridiculous for a shoe usually intended for casual wear? Of course. But it's an extremely fun cohesion of the Crocs and gorp trends that have prevailed this year — also at once on the Grateful Dead x Chinatown Market Crocs — providing the opportunity to be over-prepared down to your feet. Cheeky and maximized utility is a hallmark of McLaughlin's creations, and these Crocs look to be her most widely released design yet.
A lot's going on here — The number of accessories you can pack onto these Crocs at once makes cargo pants seem unadorned. Two of them essentially serve as Jibbitz, Crocs' name for its charms, as the paracord can be tied into the holes above the toe while the stuff sack wedges right in. The heel straps, which can be more easily worn pushed forward because of the gaiters, house both the headlamp and compass, capping of the ability to wear every single attachment at once.
These shoes are overkill, but they fall in line with the climbing lifestyle represented throughout McLaughlin's designs. To borrow a line from Hooters, they're delightfully tacky. That said, the comfort of the Crocs' foam would make these a nice respite as you take off your climbing shoe and wait for your next climb at the base of a rock. And by housing so many gizmos, they'll free up some room in your bag.
A rolling release — As part of Project Greenhouse, Footlocker's creative incubator, McLaughlin's Crocs will initially release through the Greenhouse app on October 27. Later on, at a date yet to be announced, they'll be released again on a wider basis through both Footlocker and Crocs' respective websites.