today, in britain, opinions are divided. teamed with a bomber jacket, miniskirt and black tights, the boots form part of the staple uniform for a generation of young women. sloaney girls love wearing them with jeans tucked in. some members of the fashion press wear them for comfort (although they take them off at the door before the shows). but many people hate them c lets call it the marmite effect. and as theyre not famous for giving you great legs, men are not keen either.
ugg opened its first british standalone store, in the westfield centre, london, last autumn. people queued to get in, and recent figures show that ugg sales were up 57 per cent on uggs australia last year. (is this brand recession proof?) shortly after that debut another shop opened in covent garden and the queues formed again. i decided to join them.
the windows covent garden is a great location, but i was surprised ugg had chosen a unit with the traffic of long acre and brands such as m&s and next for company, rather than cool neal street. one window displayed three pairs of frumpy sandals; another, three pairs of the new seasons ultra-bright sheepskin boots c eye-catching colours let down by a dull display.
shopability the shop is a mix of brick walls, wood and bright lighting, ugg australia with minimal merchandise displayed on wood and glass shelves. its easy to work uggs your way around, although a bit narrow c mens to the left, womens to the right and childrens at the back. pride of place is unsurprisingly given to the trademark sheepskin boot. these women uggs days they come in fuchsia, turquoise and lime-green (as well as the original tan, chestnut and black) and you can choose from knitted, canvas or sheepskin exteriors. its a classic style that has proven staying power. the sandal range (launched in australia last september) is another matter. i just didnt get it. and at 120 a pop for a basic sandal, or 35 for a sheepskin-lined flip-flop, the new collections also felt too expensive.
was i being served? the store wasnt that busy on the day of my visit, although i know thats not the norm here. what did mystify me was the number of boxes the salesgirls seemed to bring out for each customer. i know that my first uggs is probably an early fashion highlight of a girls life, and shell probably want to try on every pair in every colourway, but i wondered if this explained the queues. when i arrived there were five staff on duty, though three of them mysteriously vanished. those who were left tried valiantly to cope with the customers but some inevitably drifted off. one woman ahead of me who did manage to get served bought her uggs australia daughter a pair of boots and ballet-style pumps, racking up a total sale of 200.
