What the Croc? Pringles x Crocs and other crazy collabs

Whether Crocs make you cringe (get over yourself) or they’re your go-to shoe to avoid touching the kitchen floor of your student house, it’s impossible to deny that the brand has made a name for itself in the fashion world, often controversially sported by celebs including Stormzy and Madonna – Justin Bieber even wore Crocs to the Grammy Awards in 2022. Regardless of their Marmite-like divisive nature, Crocs are literally everywhere.

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that other brands have looked to collaborate with Crocs in recent years, releasing unique and borderline bizarre collections that supposedly appeal to a market audience out there. Most recently, Pringles (yeah, the crisps) have randomly brought out a collection with Crocs, finally giving us those Pringle-holder Crocs we’ve all been waiting for.

In light of the Pringles x Crocs release, now feels like the perfect time to explore some of Crocs’ more unique collaborative collections, from Balenciaga to Post Malone.

Pringles x Crocs

I need to know who approved these designs. These are so baffling to me that I don’t even really know what to say. Having dropped on April 16 2024, this new collection sees a pair of slides, and two new pairs of classic Crocs hit the market, complete with Julius Pringle’s moustache as the strap on the clogs (moustache up for relaxed mode, moustache down for sports mode). I didn’t even know the Pringle man had a name, and now we’re making Jibbitz of him to pop on our Crocs? This is all too much to be dealing with.

@pringles

POP OFF 🔥 Pringles x Crocs Crush Boot is HERE with a ✨super exclusive✨ Croc-tail Party flavored Crisp. #pringles #crocs @Crocs

♬ original sound – Pringles

The highlight of the collection, though, has to be the frankly insane ‘Classic Crush’ Croc boots with an inbuilt Pringle holster, being resold on StockX for at least $150 (approx. £120). Who are these for? I need to know.

Anyone in their right mind can tell that it’s a seriously flawed design – you’re telling me I’ve got to squeeze my hand (dislocate all my knuckles) into a can that is attached to my ankle in order to eat? It feels like a medieval torture method. If you’re living outside of sunny LA, too, the design is massively impractical. Ankle-height crisps in Manchester? You have to be kidding me. Those Pringles are going to be soggy.

Shoutout to whoever is running the marketing for Pringles x Crocs, though, as the abominable boots have already been seen worn by celebs including Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross at Coachella.

Simone Rocha x Crocs 

On the other end of the spectrum, Crocs have recently worked with the Simone Rocha (yes, the designer), releasing a collaboration alongside Rocha’s Spring/Summer 2024 looks. Exploring “the creative juxtaposition of femininity and utilitarianism”, the collection combines Rocha’s beautifully hyper-feminine styles with the classic croc silhouettes – I want to hate it all, but I love them.

High-fashion is never a term I would use to describe the rubber clogs in which I walk about my flat, but these Crocs are genuinely, bizarrely beautiful; the pink Simone Rocha x Crocs Quick Trail have to be my favourite.

The only thing I’m unsure of, I suppose, is who this collection is for. Rocha has worked with Jean Paul Gaultier to dress tens of celebs on the red carpets, bringing out some beautifully made collections over the years; I would love to see someone rock a pair of Rocha’s platform Crocs on a red carpet again, perhaps as a homage to Justin Bieber’s brave decision to sport Balenciaga x Crocs at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Lil Nas X x Crocs

Winning numerous awards for his music (including two Grammys), Lil Nas X has made a name for himself in the last five years as a music and fashion icon. Naturally, then, in 2023, Lil Nas X released his collection with Crocs, being named as a global brand ambassador. In adverts that made even Crocs seem sexy, Lil Nas X showed off his ‘Sherpa Mega Crush Clog’: a platform croc covered in faux-shearling, of course. They make my skin crawl – I need them in my life.

Nas X’s collab shows that Crocs aren’t just nostalgic childhood beach-trip attire, but also a pillar of pop culture. To date, the brand has worked with artist Post Malone (on five collections), Justin Bieber, and SZA, just to name a few. Although none of them are quite as audacious or fabulous as Lil Nas X’s Crocs collaboration, the number of artist collections with Crocs is a testament to the brand’s surprising significance within culture today.

Crocs have clearly found a lot of success in not taking themselves too seriously as a brand, appealing to the younger generations through unique and weirdly sought-after collections. The brand’s social media pages illustrate this perfectly, stacked with memes and keeping on trend; the line between cringe and funny is so thin, but Crocs seem to have it nailed right now, ensuring they stay relevant as a brand and using their kitsch, controversial nature to their advantage.