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Lifestyle

These Crocs won't eat your feet


In 2003, a pair of odd-looking holed shoes shaped like clogs surfaced in the Philippine market. Resembling a crocodile’s snout when placed sideways, the colorful rubber sandals were aptly named Crocs. Despite its unusual shape, the shoes caught the heart and feet of trendy Pinoys, who now seem to be wearing them everywhere. The shoes are so popular that they also caught the attention of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which padlocked one Crocs branch recently for alleged tax violations.

Crocs collector Mark Sablan says comfort and style make the shoes a winner.
Writer Niño Mark Sablan, a self-confessed Crocs collector, loves the foam shoes so much he has accumulated 15 pairs. “Crocs offers a wide range of styles but they all assure you unparalleled comfort. After my first pair of Crocs, I never really went back to wearing any other brand," he said. He finds them so comfortable that Sablan wears a pair almost everyday and everywhere. He recalled how his Crocs saved the day during an out-of-town trip. “I went to Camarines Sur to cover an event for work and I unexpectedly had to hike, go island-hopping, and attend a dinner—and I did all those wearing my favorite silver Beach Crocs."
Even the price of P1,750 per pair did not seem a deterrent. The comfort the foam shoes provides proved to be the X-factor as Crocs concept stores spread from Manila to as far south as Davao. On the Crocs Philippines Facebook page, 695 Crocs lovers have signed up to become fans, still quite modest but growing in number. And it’s all because three men thought a boat shoe would look cool. Croco - shoes In Boulder, Colorado, George Boedecker, Scott Seamans and Duke Hanson started selling shoes made of a closed-cell resin material called Croslite™ in 2002. Made by Foam Creations, the shoes were soft, lightweight, non-marking, slip-free and odor-resistant. What started as a footwear fad quickly became a phenomenon, as people buzzed about how comfortable the $29.99 shoes were. Dubbed “Crocophiles," the growing Crocs fan base were not just any fans. Crocs wearers include popular Hollywood celebrities, musicians and even former US President George Bush. Thus, it was no surprise that the Crocs craze spread worldwide and resulted in a $168.2 million profit in 2007. But opposite the avid Crocs lovers were fanatical Crocs haters who dubbed the foam clogs as “the ugliest shoes ever." And much to the haters’ delight, the US recession caused Crocs sales to plummet, with a $185.1 million loss in 2008. But there were other issues. Escalator-eating Crocs In January 2006, reports began circulating that Crocs were hazardous for children because the soft-soled shoes were easily "eaten" by escalators. In their 2008 report, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said there were 77 escalator entrapment incidents involving the popular foam shoes. Parents of injured kids filed million-dollar lawsuits against Crocs. (see next page) In Japan, the Trade Industry requested Crocs makers to improve their design and material after recording more than 65 escalator accidents.
Pinoy Crocs lovers were not spared from accident. In 2007, TV host Daphne Osena – Paez posted a warning for parents in her blog after her daughter’s Crocs were destroyed in an escalator. Thankfully, her daughter’s foot was unharmed. Myla Rosales’s four-year old daughter was not as fortunate. She recounted in her blog how her daughter’s pink Crocs got stuck in a mall elevator, resulting in injury and the removal of her right toenail. With a number of parents reporting Crocs-related incidents, the Department of Trade and Industry called the attention of the local distributor of Crocs and issued an advisory on escalator safety. Responding to the complaints, Crocs launched a safety awareness initiative to educate consumers how to prevent escalator accidents. “Consumer safety is very important to us," said Ron Snyder, President and CEO of Crocs, Inc. “Escalator entrapments have occurred for more than 40 years, far longer than Crocs has been in business, and these accidents often are preventable. Because the Crocs brand is so visible and so popular around the world, we have an opportunity to reach millions of consumers of all ages, including parents, with educational messages that will help draw attention to this important issue." CrocsRX Despite the bad publicity and sales decline, Crocs continued to diversify their footwear line with styles that were “prettier" than their first bulky model. The line now has more feminine styles including ballet flats, 3–inch wedges and thong sandals. For men’s footwear, they came up with lightweight topsiders, loafers and dress shoes combining canvas and Croslite. The company also established a medical division to come up with a footwear innovation.
CrocsRX Silver Cloud has a reinforced toebox and nano-silver particles for added protection from injury and infection. Courtesy of crocs.com
Banking on their reputation for comfortable shoes, the company teamed up with foot specialists to produce a medical line called CrocsRX to provide therapeutic relief for diabetics and people with foot problems. The shoes have the same boat shape but with a deeper heel area for a snug fit and a reinforced toe box for stronger protection for sensitive feet. But the main advantage of the therapeutic shoes is something almost invisible: the Croslite material is infused with nano-silver ceramic crystals that kill bacteria and fungi responsible for foot infections. The more the wearer’s foot emits heat and sweat, the more silver is released to fight possible infection. Helton Tan, general manager of CrocsRX in the Philippines, said the shoes were subjected to several tests in order to get approval from the American Podiatric Medical Association. CrocsRX also has a certification from the US Ergonomics --- an organization that studies the design of equipment, especially to reduce operator fatigue, discomfort and injury --- to prove that the shoes provide comfort and relief to the wearer.
Tan himself attests to the effectiveness of the shoes. “I played basketball then I developed this heel spur. It’s very painful especially when you’re walking with leather shoes, even regular step–ins. Then I wore the Silver Cloud and it actually eased the pressure. I would say about 85 percent. I don’t feel the pain of my heel spur because the shoes are softer and the silver does help alleviate the pain." He said CrocsRX is a good fit not only for diabetics but also for those who suffer from bunions, arthritis, heel pain, athlete’s foot, excessive sweating, and other foot problems that stem from wearing ill–fitting shoes. Due to the added technology, CrocsRX shoes cost more than the lifestyle line at P2,350 to P4,350 per pair. Whether Crocs sinks or swims remains to be seen. In the fashion world where comfort often gives way to style, the craze surrounding this unusual shoe only proved that sometimes comfort can win. And with their growing lifestyle line, it may be possible that Crocs could achieve both. - GMANews.TV
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