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No shoe seems to ruffle fashion feathers quite like a good pair of old-fashioned Crocs. Even though the slip-on clogs have shown up on the feet of stylish celebs like Justin Bieber and Shia LaBeouf (not to mention Croc collaborator Post Malone), the plastic kicks are still a wouldn’t-touch-with-a-10-foot-pole proposition for plenty of guys. Which is saying a lot for a time when trail sneakers and leather pants—not exactly low-degree-of-difficulty goods—are both considered extremely cool. So it should be noted that designer Anwar Carrots had his work cut out for him when he was asked to design a pair of Crocs. Luckily, he delivered some eccentric clogs that are sure to appeal to wild-footwear aficionados—as well as lovers of the color orange.
Carrots first made his mark in the Los Angeles streetwear scene as the creative force behind Peas & Carrots, a small label he founded with rapper Casey Veggies. A few years back, he broke out on his own with Carrots by Anwar Carrots, a vibrantly colored line of graphic tees, hoodies, caps, and more. (As you might guess, there is no shortage of orange and green in the brand’s designs.) And jumping on the Crocs bandwagon isn’t as strange as it seems. Carrots joins a growing list of in-the-know streetwear brands who have teamed up with the footwear company: Alife, Pleasures, and Chinatown Market have all put out their own clogs. The Carrots x Crocs clog carries his label’s signature orange, balanced with green accents, and is complete with a bold graphic print. Plus, it comes outfitted with three removable Jibbitz. (This is your friendly reminder that Jibbitz is Croc-speak for charms.) The limited-edition shoes, which will retail for $59, will be available exclusively on Foot Locker’s Greenhouse app on September 17.
Greenhouse is Foot Locker’s “incubator”—a way for the mall brand to work with up-and-comers. The trade-off makes sense: An indie designer like Carrots gets the benefit of wide distribution and major-production know-how, while Foot Locker gets to coat itself in indie cool. He’ll be the first of three streetwear collaborators paired by Greenhouse with Crocs.
It’s worth noting, too, some strange history here: The orange Croc was, of course, known as the go-to footwear of the now-disgraced chef Mario Batali. Which is to say that the stock of this particular shade of Croc took a hit in recent years. If anything can bring orange plastic back into the public’s good grace, a collaboration with an adored streetwear label is a great place to start. Carrots has built his brand on smart use of primary colors, remixing orange and green shades in endless combinations without making it feel too dull. So if Crocs is looking to get stylish dudes to start wearing its orange clogs again, it was a smart bet to pick Carrots to lead the charge.
Crocs x Carrots
Courtesy of Crocs
Crocs x Carrots
Courtesy of Crocs