School bans of Crocs threaten dominance of kids’ favorite shoes

Crocs Inc. grew into an $8 billion company and rose to Justin Bieber-level fame by providing a quick, comfortable option for kids and teens to slip on and dash to school. But now, an increasing number of schools are banning the clogs due to what they say are safety hazards and distractions.

“Whenever someone mentions a foot injury, the first thing everyone says is, ‘I bet you they were wearing Crocs,’” said Oswaldo Luciano, who has two kids and works as a school nurse in New York, referring to his group chats with other nurses across the state. He added he agrees with the bans, citing safety concerns. 

Dozens of schools in at least 12 US states have forbidden students from wearing Crocs in day-to-day use, citing the propensity of some students to trip and fall while wearing the colorful clogs without their so-called safety straps behind the heel. Other schools say the shoes have led to a rise in accidents and distractions, including students playing with the little charms that go with the shoes in class and throwing the shoes at their schoolmates.

“All students must wear closed toe shoes for safety (No Crocs),” reads the school uniform policy at Lake City Elementary, which is south of Atlanta. LaBelle Middle School in LaBelle, Florida, says in its dress code for the current school year that “safe footwear shall be worn at all times,” specifying “NO CROCS allowed.” 

Anne Mehlman, president of the Crocs brand and an executive vice president, said that the company isn’t aware “of any substantiated data that bans have been increasing.”

Crocs, which is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on Tuesday before US markets open, has seen annual sales more than triple over the last four years. After a decade-long fallow period during the 2010s, Crocs regained their relevance following a strategic move to target teens. Helped by comfort-craving kids during the pandemic and a series of celebrity tie-ups including Post Malone and Bieber, Crocs now ranks among teens’ top 10 favorites, according to a biannual Piper Sandler survey. Shares have soared by more than three times the performance of the S&P 500 Index since 2018.

Still, there are signs the company’s resurgence may be slowing. Sales growth in the third quarter, which includes the crucial back-to-school shopping period, is expected to be a meager 0.4%, according to the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That would be the lowest level since 2020. And the economic backdrop for consumer spending is darkening as shoppers seek out deals ahead of the all-important holiday shopping season and higher prices across the economy dent brand loyalty. 

“Buying the products for back-to-school, or for use at school, is important for the brand,” said Neil Saunders, retail managing director at GlobalData. And while Saunders says there are no signs that bans are impacting sales yet, “it’s certainly very unhelpful.”

Siobhan Joshua, a pharmacy technician in Yonkers, New York, said she recently bought her 10-year-old daughter a pair of slip-on sneakers to replace Crocs at school, which recently banned the clogs during recess for safety reasons. Joshua’s daughter got eight stitches on her shin after one of her Crocs got caught in an escalator, leading to a fall.

“I actually thought that it was crazy how we bought them for safety and that they were banning them because of safety,” Joshua said, noting that her daughter still loves her Crocs and wears them outside of school.

Crocs said the school restrictions are “baffling” and maintained that even if certain schools were banning them, they are still an “everyday shoe.”