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Ugg boots (sometimes called uggs) are unisex sheepskin boots, made of twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside and with a tanned outer surface.

Ugg boots often have a synthetic sole, although this is not universal. Heights range from around the ankle to above the knee, they are available in a range of different colours as both slip-on and lace-up varieties, and they are produced by a number of manufacturers. The natural insulative properties of sheepskin gives thermostatic properties to the boots: the thick fleecy fibers on the inner part of the boots allow air to circulate and keep the feet at body temperature. This means that ugg boots can be worn without socks even in relatively cold weather.

Ugg boots are believed to have been first developed in Australia or New Zealand, although the exact date is uncertain—they have been, at different times, identified with pilots in World War I who are said to have worn them for warmth in unpressurized planes, shearers in rural Australia during the 1920s, surfers and competitive swimmers who wore them in the 1960s and 1970s for keeping warm while out of the water. In the early 2000s, they became a fashion trend in the United States, leading to increased global sales.

History

There has been considerable dispute over the origins of the ugg boot style, with both Australia and New Zealand claiming to have been the originators of the footwear. Nevertheless, it appears that the boots were used by aviators during World War I, who referred to them as "fug boots" (surmised to be a shortened form of "flying ugg boots"), and that they were present in rural regions of Australia during the 1920s. While it is not clear when manufacturing started, by 1933, ugg boots were being manufactured by Blue Mountains Ugg Boots, and Mortels Sheepskin Factory were making the boots from the late 1950s.

In the 1960s, ugg boots became a popular option for competitive surfers, who used the boots to keep their feet warm after exiting from the surf. It was surfing which helped popularise the boots outside of Australia and New Zealand, when surfer Brian Smith started selling the boots in the United States through the company Ugg Holdings, Inc. in 1979. Later, ugg boots emerged as a fashion trend in the United States, with celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Pamela Anderson choosing to wear the boots, creating increased demand. However, Pamela Anderson renounced ugg boots in 2007 upon realising that they were made from animal skin.

The terms ugg boots, ugh boots and ug boots have been used as generic terms for sheepskin boots in Australia and New Zealand since at least the 1970s, although individual accounts have suggested that the terms (or variations thereof) were employed earlier. The 1970s saw the emergence of advertising using the names, but Brian Smith has stated that the boots were referred to as "uggs" long before the word was trademarked (in 1971), and Frank Mortel claims to have been making ugg boots under the "ugg" name since 1958.

Design

Ugg boots are traditionally made from sheepskin. The wool is tanned into the leather, and the upper part of the boot is assembled with the fleece on the inside. The soles of the boots are made from rubber, and the stitching is often prominent on the outside of the boot. The fleece draws away moisture, keeping the feet dry and at body temperature. Today they come in a variety of colours, including black, pink, blue, chestnut, fuchsia, and so on. Also they are available in both slip-on and lace-up varieties. The height of the boot can range from just above the ankle to, in some cases, over the knee.

Some variations of ugg style boots have also been made from kangaroo fur and leather. Along with the sheepskin varieties, synthetic boots have entered the market. Although derided as "fake" by some in the industry, their lower price point made them appealing to large retail chains such as Myer.

Trademark dispute

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In 1971, Shane Steadman, a surfing champion, began selling Australian-style ugg boots in the United States, mostly on the West Coast. In 1979, Brian Smith, another surfer, decided to begin selling them in New York. He set up a company known as Ugg Holdings Inc. and registered a trademark on "ugg boots" in 25 countries; he sold his interest to Deckers Outdoor Corporation in 1995. In 1999, Deckers began asserting its new trademark and sent out cease and desist letters to Australian manufacturers of ugg boots, but it didn't press the issue beyond that. It was only when those manufacturers began selling their wares over the Internet that Middletons, Deckers' law firm, began a serious effort to halt their sales."Ugg: How a minnow put the boot into a fashion giant". The Independent. January 18, 2006. Retrieved 2010-05-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)</ref>

By the early 2000's ugg boots' popularity had exploded as a result of several key celebrity endorsements. In 2004 Deckers sent cease and desist letters to 20 small Australian manufacturers, and the issue came to a head. Many of these manufacturers formed a group known as the "Ugg Boot Footwear Asssociation" to fight Deckers' trademark claim, arguing that "ugg" is a shortened form of "ugly." They further argued that Australian manufacturers had been making this style of boots for many decades and that the "ugg" moniker is therefore generic. One of these small manufacturers, Perth's "Uggs-n-Rugs," appealed to Australian trademark regulators, who in 2006 ruled that "ugg" is indeed a generic term and stated that it should be removed from the trademark register. The officer who heard the case stated that the "evidence overwhelmingly supports the proposition that the terms (ugg, ugh and ug boots) are interchangeably used to describe a specific style of sheepskin boot and are the first and most natural way in which to describe these goods". "Ugg: How a minnow put the boot into a fashion giant". The Independent. January 18, 2006. Retrieved 2010-05-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)</ref> However, the ruling only applies to Australia and Deckers still owns the trademarks in other jurisdictions (including the United States, the European Union and more than 100 other countries.

In 2005, the validity of the UGG trademark was challenged in Federal Court in California; the courts ruled for Deckers, stating that consumers in the United States consider Ugg to e a brand name. A similar challenge was also rejected in the Netherlands.

Concern for animals

The production of ugg boots has been the subject of criticism due to the fact that they are made from the skins of deliberately-slaughtered animals.

In 2007, Pamela Anderson, realising that ugg boots were made of skin, wrote on her website: "I thought they were shaved kindly? People like to tell me all the time that I started that trend — yikes! Well let's start a new one — do NOT buy Uggs! Buy Stella McCartney or juicy boots".

In February 2008, the Princeton Animal Welfare Society staged a campus protest against the fur industry, particularly attacking the ugg boot industry, popular amongst male and female college students. "tudents lay in the newly fallen snow on the Frist Campus Center’s North Front Lawn on Friday afternoon, feigning death, wearing coats covered with fake blood and sporting signs that read, 'What if you were killed for your coat?'"

There have been calls for the boycott of ugg boots and their replacement with viable alternatives.

References

1. ^ Thompson, Ian (16 January 2006). "Decision of a Delegate of the Registrar of Trade Marks with Reasons" (PDF). IP Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
2. ^ Grant, Lorrie (10 December 2003). "UGG boots a fashion kick". USA Today. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
3. ^ Terry, Andrew; Forrest, Heather (2008). "Where's the Beef? Why Burger King Is Hungry Jack's in Australia and Other Complications in Building a Global Franchise Brand". Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business, 2008. 28 (2): 188. ISSN 0196-3228.
4. ^ "What's in a name?". Central Coast Express. Sydney, Australia. 9 March 2004. p. 20.
5. Gee, Steve (23 January 2004). "Uggly Americans — The Yanks steal another one of our beaut ideas". Daily Telegraph. Sydney, Australia. p. 7.
6. ^ Burgess, Dave (12 July 2008). "An ugg boot is an ug boot is an ugh boot". The Dominion Post. Wellington, New Zealand. p. A17.
7. ^ Marks, Kathy (17 February 2004). "There's no business like shoe business". The Independent. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
8. Brown, Suzanne S. (21 December 2003). "Ooh, so comfy, but ugh! so hard to find". Chicago Tribune. p. 7B.
9. ^ Grant, Sarah (28 February 2007). "Pammy puts the boot into her uggs". Daily Telegraph. Sydney, Australia. p. 3.
10. Higgins, Pamm (October 2001). "Booty Call". Los Angeles Magazine. 46 (10): 75. ISSN 1522-9149.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: year (link) "We always called them Uggs," Smith says, "long before it was a trademarked brand."
11. Marks, Kathy (17 February 2004). "There's no business like shoe business". The Independent. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 November 2009. "We called them Uggs from the start," he says. "Although I recall other names such as 'woolly hoppers'."
12. Marks, Kathy (19 January 2006). "These boots are made for litigation". New Zealand Herald. Auckland, New Zealand. p. 33. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
13. ^ Plant, Simon (22 February 2007). "Shake your booty". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. p. W22.
14. "Kangaroo Tipped Ugg Boots". Eagle Wools. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.eaglewools.com.au/ugg-boots/boots/kangaroo-tipped-ugg-boots/" ignored (help)
15. "Fake Ugg Boots". Australian Sheepskin Association Inc. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
16. Needham, Kirsty (13 March 2004). "Putting the boot in". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. p. 33. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
17. List of Deckers International Trademarks
18. Koolaburra Decision
19. Dutch Decision, December 2008
20. "Pamela Anderson Learns Ugg Boots Made From Sheepskin, Speaks Out Against Them". Fox News. 28 February 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
21. ""PAWS takes aim at Ugg boots". Daily Princetonian. 25 February 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)

External links

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugg Boot—description of a 2006 documentary film on the trademark dispute (see also Australian Film Commission database)
• "Ugg Lovers Fight Back", The Age, 6 May 2004.

• 2000s fashion
• 2010s fashion
• Animal rights
• Boots
• Shoe brands
• Australian clothing