The Unspoken Power of “Ugly” Branding (And Why It Sometimes Wins)
In 2018, Crocs collaborated with Balenciaga. The internet groaned. “Who would wear these?” they scoffed—again. But within hours, the $850 platform Crocs sold out. They weren’t beautiful. They weren’t sleek. They weren’t minimalist. They were, by almost every traditional standard, ugly. And yet, they won. That same kind of aesthetic rebellion has been quietly brewing…