What are UGGS?

Answer 1

Uggs are sheepskin boots lined with wool. The style originated among sheep farmers in Australia and New Zealand the in the early 1900s and became a popular fashion trend, particularly in the United States and Europe, with teenagers and young adults in the 2000s. The name UGGS (in all capitals) was trademarked by an Australian clothing company who manufactures ugg-style boots for mass consumption.

Answer 2

It might surprise you, but UGGS isn’t the name of a product that was conjured up by a round-table of marketing gurus. This unusual name actual has a very meaningful history that started in Australia.

If you don’t know what an UGG boot is, it is a bulky boot that is lined with comfortable wool and sheep skin is on the outside. The boot was originally made by sheep shearers in the Outback of Australia. To battle the cold of early mornings and late nights, the sheep shearers created a slip-on boot. They found that the sheepskin and wool maintained their body temperature and kept the moisture out. Thus the UGG was born.

The boots offered comfort and warmth, and it wasn’t too long before the popularity of the boot spread in outside of the Australian Outback. Australian pilots during World War II used the boots to keep their feet warm during long flights. As their popularity grew even more, a slang-term was given, “UGGS”. It is presumed to be a short version of the word “ugly”. Australian surfers really contributed to their success. They would slip into this comfortable boot after a long day of Surfing, and with international attention the UGG became a popular fashion statement around the world.

In the 70’s a man by the name of Shane Stedman trademarked the name Ugh- boot with the Australian Trade Mark Registry. Decker’s Outdoor Corporation, an American company, trademarked a name based on UGG including UGG Australia. This brought on a number of legal battles which eventually led to removing all of Decker’s encompassing Australian trademark. The removal allowed other shoe and boot companies to make and sell footwear using generic variations of the word such as “UGG”, “UGH” or “UG”.

In present time, you can still find some boots marketed by Decker’s as “UGG Australia”, but they aren’t made in Australia and don’t use the same high quality materials. If you are looking to purchase these boots, ensure that the company used genuine Merino wool. This is the original wool that sheep shearers used long ago to keep their feet warm and dry during early mornings and cold nights.