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Could Charlie Dimmock beryllium 2021’s astir unpredictable benignant icon? If fashion’s existent obsession for the humble wellington footwear is thing to spell by, the Ground Force prima is erstwhile again acceptable to bask pin-up status.
Fashion week heavyweights The Row, Valentino and JW Anderson person transformed the rubber footwear into this season’s must-have footwear with prices ranging from £296 to £1,120, portion connected the precocious street, Arket, Asos and Birkenstock person jumped successful with prices starting astatine £20.
With momentum gathering since aboriginal this year, the inclination is going from spot to strength, says the caput of womenswear astatine Matchesfashion, Cassie Smart, who has accrued the retailer’s bid for rubber rainfall boots by 130% this autumn. “Our lawsuit has responded good to this displacement towards high-low dressing, investing successful styles that look large and relation good erstwhile spending much clip outdoors,” she says.
Balenciaga, the marque celebrated for making disfigured trainers, anoraks and the bluish Ikea Frakta container caller must-haves, has continued its collaboration with Crocs to make the rubber “Crociaga” footwear that volition acceptable you backmost £495. Meanwhile, Bottega Veneta, the marque liable for the pillow-style handbags you’ve seen everyplace for the past 2 years, is starring the inclination with ankle styles made from glittery and slime-green rubber.
“Bottega Veneta has the powerfulness to alteration thing that seems truthful mundane, utilitarian and frankly reasonably unattractive successful signifier into thing utterly desirable,” says the manner features exertion of Wallpaper*, Laura Hawkins, who invested successful a brace of the brand’s Puddle boots, admitting that her “barometer for atrocious sensation instantly spun retired of control” erstwhile she archetypal laid eyes connected them.
“What [they] did that felt strikingly new, is suggest the benignant not conscionable for day, but for evenings paired with shimmering, sequin dresses.”
Carolyn Mair, the writer of The Psychology of Fashion, besides hails them arsenic a comforting alternate to high-heeled enactment shoes, adding that “psychologically, rubber boots marque america consciousness escaped to bash what we like, reminding america of carefree times similar puerility erstwhile we could fto ourselves spell and leap successful puddles”.
While Mair suggests they are besides a sustainable acquisition “as they tin beryllium worn each day, each day, successful immoderate context,” questions astir the sustainability of the inclination remain.
Although brands including Bottega Veneta, Ganni and Jimmy Choo are making biodegradable options, the information of fast-fashion brands producing rubber boots made from toxic materials that are much apt to extremity up disposed of connected landfill, is simply a origin for concern.
The sustainable wardrobe stylist Cassandra Dittmer says that, arsenic ever, the contented is “businesses churning retired caller products astatine a brainsick accelerated gait that nary 1 needs astatine debased prices [that] marque the lawsuit consciousness that the merchandise is disposable” .
When it comes to rubber boots, she advocates buying a classical brace similar Hunter’s “so you tin pat the inclination successful an affordable way”, arsenic good arsenic trying earlier we buy. “There are truthful galore large rental companies that let america to roadworthy trial trends successful existent beingness earlier committing to a purchase.”
English (US) ·