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Oct 31, 2024

Crocs are banned at schools as Gen Alpha trips over them | Fortune

Teachers berating their students for running through the corridors have a new hallway hazard to worry about: Grade-schoolers are tripping and tumbling over their Crocs. Schools have increasingly

Teachers berating their students for running through the corridors have a new hallway hazard to worry about: Grade-schoolers are tripping and tumbling over their Crocs.

Schools have increasingly banned the slip-on foam clogs over safety concerns as well as arguments that the shoes—often accompanied by customizable stick-on charms called “jibbitz”—pose a distraction to pupils. Dozens of schools across more than 12 states have implemented Crocs bans, Bloomberg reported, including Lake City Elementary School in Georgia, which said in its dress code policy that students should wear closed-toe shoes, forbidding Crocs for safety reasons.

“Safe footwear shall be worn at all times. No open-toe shoes, bedroom slippers, or shower shoes. All shoes must have a strap or back at the heel,” the dress code for LaBelle Middle School in Florida says. “NO CROCS allowed.”

The bans follow an onslaught of viral TikTok memes showing exasperated teens re-creating slipping on Crocs and tripping in their school hallways—a trend even Crocs acknowledged on the social media platform.

At least anecdotally, Crocs-related incidents are something Jessica Ramírez, senior research analyst at market tracker Jane Hali & Associates, has seen increase compared to other shoes in the last few years as the brand skyrockets in popularity among young people.

“Especially middle-schoolers—they’re just running around being middle-schoolers,” she told Fortune. “You’re going to see one fall.”

Gen Z and Gen Alpha—the youngest generation, born between 2010 and today—have fallen in love with Crocs, which has consistently ranked among Gen Z’s top 10 favorite footwear brands in the last couple years, according to Piper Sandler’s biannual survey of U.S. teens. The shoe company has leaned into its customizable jibbitz as well as partnerships with teen-friendly brands like Shrek and Fortnite, Ramirez said.

That has helped Crocs reach record revenues earlier this year, with share prices increasing 55% in the past 12 months. The company reported its third-quarter earnings Tuesday.

“When there’s something that allows you to bring out your personality and what you stand for and what you like, that seems to really resonate with them, and they really do enjoy showing that off,” Ramirez said.

But Crocs’ raging popularity among young people has elicited increased scrutiny from parents and health professionals who say the shoe poses a safety threat to toddling tots and energy-filled elementary- and middle-schoolers.

Dr. Megan Leahy, a podiatrist for the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, told HuffPost she’s seen kids and even adults trip and fall more in Crocs than in closed-toe shoes with stiffer heel support. Beyond being associated with more tripping, Dr. Pria Parthasarathy, a spokesperson for American Podiatric Medical Association, said, the shoe doesn’t provide sufficient arch support and can keep moisture on the skin surface, which can cause blisters.

“Those things combined—it doesn’t make it a really good, stable form of footwear for all-day use,” she told NPR.

Crocs told Fortune the company is not aware “of any substantiated data that bans have been increasing” and called school bans of the shoe “baffling.”

Despite Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s love of colorful clogs helping to boost Crocs, their trend-chasing sensibility is also threatening the brand, Ramirez said. Shoe brands have increasingly leaned on innovation to boost sales, and with so much diversity in the casual shoe market, Gen Z and Gen Alpha have a wealth of trendy shoe options, which means Crocs could easily have its grip loosened on teens’ and tweens’ closets.

Crocs also hasn’t been helped by its $2.5 billion acquisition in 2022 of Hey Dude, a slip-on loafer brand that humbled the shoe company with tanking sales last quarter.

Should the slip-on shoes’ slippery reputation continue, with more schools forbidding Crocs, it could mean trouble for the brand, Ramirez argued. Consumer spending may be increasing—driven mostly by high-income earners—but consumers have been more strategic in their purchases, especially discretionary items. When it comes to kids’ footwear, parents may want to invest in shoes wisely, and pass over a brand like Crocs if their kids are only allowed to wear them at home and on weekends.

“When you’re strapped for cash,” Ramírez said, “even though Crocs aren’t expensive, you might only want to be buying them one pair of shoes.”