Caption: Luisa Almeida and her friends captured the moment when she and her friends bought matching Crocs at the mall. [by Luisa Almeida]
by Miguel Ribeiro
The new comfortable and fashionable trend nowadays, wearing crocs with socks, has gained the hearts of many students at PACA and has become a normal item to wear in their routine. But where did this trend come from?
Let’s take a step back into recent trends in student footwear to find out where this might be coming from. The Guidon Online, an online school newspaper based out of Kansas, noted in a student article (LINK HERE) that crocs were starting to become popular among students in the 2018-2019 school year.
A student reporter, Anna Brull, wrote that “crocs have started making a comeback, and several students wear them daily.”
Fast forward six years later, and crocs are still among the preferred footwear for high school students, with even more designs being available in the croc collection. Many students in many schools have adopted this new way for their feet.
At PACA, secondary students can be seen wearing different styles of crocs, clogs, sandals, and slides as part of this trend. They have also picked up on a new trend, which is to wear socks with this type of footwear.
According to inStyle magazine, the newest trend among fashion designers is to pair socks with different types of sandals and open toed shoes. Amber Rambharose wrote in her January article (LINK HERE), that “socks and sandals are not only accepted, they are also a vibe” in today’s society.
Crocs themselves are lightweight, easy to clean, and comfortable for the feet. They are perfect for all-day wear. Pairing them with socks makes this perfect combo of comfort and fashion.
“This footwear trend has captivated street style stars and fashion designers alike, appearing on runways and the soles of fashion week guests the world over,” wrote Rambharose.
The Sock Club, a company based out of Austin, Texas, noted benefits for wearing socks with crocs. Staff writer, Kara Boatner, included benefits such as added comfort for croc wearers and reduced sweat and bad odor that often comes with wearing these shoes without socks.
Like sauce for spaghetti, many people can’t live without this incredible and fashionable compliment for their crocs. There is a variety of colorful socks to be used and people can create their own outfit with these varieties.
Even the Crocs company is taking advantage of this trend by offering their own line of socks to match their shoes (LINK HERE). Many students at PACA have put their Crocs into their daily routine and have a unique way of wearing or personalizing.
Junior, Filipe Cruz, uses his crocs on a daily basis when attending school. For Cruz, it is important to keep the backstrap of the crocs in “sports mode.” This is based on a Twitter trend in 2019, in which users identified the “sports mode” as being when the heel strap of the shoe is pulled behind the heel rather than lifted up over the front of the shoe, which would be the “relaxed mode.”
Cruz said, “I think it’s way more comfortable and useful because you don’t waste your daily shoes. The way you customize your crocs may show your likes and dislikes. But I always like to keep my crocs simple.”
Crocs are especially unique to each student and show much more than just a wearable item. It shows people about each other and maybe how to relate with them. As more students adopt this look, it creates a community and gives a feeling of welcoming among them. Seeing students wear crocs and socks can make them see all of this comfort and fashion, encouraging others to join in.
Cruz said, “Normally on a daily basis I would prefer a normal shoe but in the morning, or on a hard day, I would always prefer my crocs.”
The sock trend comes after the increasingly popular trend which added accessories to crocs for individualization. These “Jibbitz,” which is the term used for the small, colorful accessories that people can pop into the holes on the top of their crocs, is also becoming popular among students at PACA.
According to the Crocs website (LINK HERE), these pins from different characters, food objects and normal objects, allow purchasers to customize their crocs to express their individuality and style put on their Crocs. This combo of personalized crocs with socks, has gained popularity especially through social media, Influencers and celebrities have been seen wearing this outstanding look, encouraging students to embrace it even more.
Freshman student, Emily Jung, is also a person that loves to individualize her crocs. She always shows this style and personality in her outfits. What mostly stands out are her crocs and socks. Since Elementary, Emily loves using crocs and has a variety of them wearing a different one everyday. She has many incredible Jibbitz too and her colorful character socks give that extra personality.
“I like when people put Jibbitz on their crocs,” Emily Jung said, “It is because it shows their personality like the nurse uses a nurse Jibbitz. It shows the inside of people and what they enjoy the most.”
In my opinion, the increasing number of people wearing socks with crocs is as rapid as a light bulb and is spreading like ants moving up an anthill. I think it is definitely an enjoyable trend that is created and loved throughout the world by everyone, especially students.
This trend of crocs and socks between students is a mixture of comfort, practicality, personality and fashion. As more trends and habits among students continue to change, this trend shows how expressions of comfort can make us rethink what is considered stylish.
