Crocs- the Game changer!

Crocs products review 

Looking at people wearing fancy coloured footwear on the beaches of Goa got my attention towards the brand offering these products. A closer peek gave me the brand name ‘Crocs’. Although, I had known that Crocs existed in the Indian market, I was amazed by the bold design, vibrant colours and the popularity the brand commanded.

My visit to the Crocs website and the Facebook fan page inspired me to go to the Crocs store at Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel. The purpose of my visit was not entirely to feast my eyes on the wide array of colours, it was more of an informational visit to gain better understanding of the product offering and I must say I have developed a fondness towards the brand. After speaking to the Crocs representatives in the store, I found out that there are a numerous factors about Crocs products that differentiate the brand from rest of the footwear brands.

Some of the unique features of a Crocs product include:

Vibrant Colors

Crocs offers products in more than 50 cool and vibrant shades that makes the Crocs store from the outside look like a colourful candy box. Crocs offers products for men, women and kids and the colourful range of products are available for everyone. As informed by the Crocs representatives, customers today prefer more of vibrant shades as compared to the usual blues, browns & blacks. Your dilemma begins when you have to choose a product for yourself with the Crocs store offering a tantalizing array of colours, patterns and shapes.

Material

Contrary to the popular belief that Crocs offers only Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) products like Clogs, they also offers products in suede leather and synthetic fabric as depicted in the pictures above:

1 represents the suede leather part of the shoe, 2 is the synthetic fabric and 3 is the TPU part. This shoe is one of the products in which all three materials have been used. Crocs offer a variety of products in these materials along with a new series in canvas.

The canvas product offering seems to be a wise move by Crocs India as these products are gaining popularity in the Indian market, especially amongst the youngsters in the metros.

The picture above represents canvas and synthetic range of products offered by Crocs.

Comfort

Crocs shoes are perhaps the most comfortable pair of all weather footwear I have come across. Hands on experience with the products made me realise one of their major selling USP - comfort. With no laces and Velcro to deal with in most products and a majority of them being just- a- little- heavier-than-air makes the Crocs experience a comfortable one.

In the above image the left hand side product is an all season antibacterial shoe with lots of holes for air to pass through. And to talk about the greatest advantage- Crocs don’t stink!

Durability

Durability being one of the unique selling propositions for Crocs, the products are well known for their durability. Most of the products are all season footwear which is perfect for extreme weather conditions. The unique material used in Crocs products are highly flexible and can easily bend and fold over rugged paths while trekking, hiking or if used for river crossing.

Customization

Most Crocs products can be customized and decorated to add to its uniqueness. Although, it may appear that one can customize only kids’ shoes, all the shoes with holes on them can be customized. Along with kids, more and more youngsters are adopting to this trend of shoe customization. The leftmost picture above is an example of a customized shoe wherein customers fix different types of attachments. These attachments are termed as ‘Jibbitz’ by Crocs and fall under their accessories category of offerings.

Important tips

How to identify a genuine pair of Crocs?

With the growing popularity of Crocs products worldwide, the Indian as well as international market is flooded with counterfeited Crocs products.  And therefore, it is important to identify your genuine pair of Crocs to enjoy the genuine “feel good” factor after wearing them. Here’s a comprehensive list of pointers to make sure before you buy your pair of Crocs:

1. Preferably buy Crocs from the company website or a Crocs store.
2. For shoes with heel straps, check for Crocs TM printed on the strap.
3. Look out for printed CROCS on the sole of the shoe and the genuine Crocodile logo on the button or anywhere else on the shoe.
4. On the sole of the shoe, look for company website, shoe size and the country of manufacturing.
5. The Crocs follows a different size scheme for its products unlike the regular size scheme. For e.g.: Crocs sizes are mentioned as M8, M9, and W6 etc. whereas usually shoe sizes are mentioned as 40, 42 or 7, 9 etc. 

How much would a Crocs product cost?

A Crocs product costs anywhere between INR 900 or $25 and INR 5000 or $100. The signature Crocs product, Clogs is available around INR 1500 or $25

How to choose your correct fit?

Unlike other footwear, Crocs footwear should be around a quarter to half inch bigger than your usual shoe size. This buffer should be in the front of your toes and behind the heels. This is how the products are intentionally designed to provide a comfortable fit. 

My Verdict

The material, the comfort, the sizing pattern and other unique features do constitute for the brand to be termed as the ‘Game Changers’ in the footwear industry. Currently, no other shoe manufacturer provides anything close to the range of products provided by Crocs. During my visit to the Crocs store, I tried around 12- 14 pairs of Crocs and was so confused about picking a pair of Crocs that I eventually ended up picking a couple of them. I wouldn’t ask you to go buy a pair, instead simply ask you to visit the store and I am sure you’ll end up buying a pair, at least.