It was only yesterday that we were joking that the manicure trend of the moment – the unwieldy duck foot nail – was the ugly sneaker of the beauty world. We were younger then, and more innocent, blissfully unaware that just 24 hours later we would be hit with actual ugly footwear. Crocs have officially infiltrated the beauty world, and we have Benefit Cosmetics to blame.
The make-up brand announced that it has partnered up with Crocs on two styles: the Classic Clog ($70) and Classic Sandal ($50). Taking inspiration from 90s nostalgia, particularly jelly shoes, both styles come in a bright Barbie pink hue and feature lots of glitter, gems, a mirror compact, and charms with Benefit’s motto “Laughter is the best cosmetic”.
“Just like Benefit, Crocs is a brand that prioritises fun, individuality, and self-expression,” Jennifer Whipple, vice president of US marketing at Benefit Cosmetics, told WWD. “We both want to make our communities smile with everything we do and this collection is intended to do exactly that.” The collaboration follows a successful Instagram giveaway that the brands partnered on last year, which saw Benefit gain 14,000 new followers and more than double the engagement of previous giveaways.
Crocs has had a long history of collaborations particularly with the fashion industry, with which it has a complicated relationship. After starting out as the weird, much mocked, cousin of the shoe world, the style became emblematic of the industry’s ongoing obsession with subverting ideas of what’s cool, and collaborations with designers like Christopher Kane and Demna Gvasalia provided Crocs with bonafide fashion credentials.
Then came the celebrities, with Diplo, Post Malone, Bad Bunny, and Justin Bieber all partnering with the shoe brand – Victoria Beckham hilariously said she would rather die than wear the Bieber one – before a collaboration with KFC on some scented Crocs designed to look like the fast food chain’s bargain box. Benefit’s version is not emblazoned with juicy chunks of deep-fried chicken, and for that we can be thankful. But they are hideously ugly, and thus in keeping with the Crocs ethos.
The Crocs x Benefit Cosmetics collab will be available exclusively on Crocs.com on July 13.
