Crocs CEO credits pandemic for success, says people don’t want to dress smart anymore

Crocs footwear is known for its comfort and unique design

The pandemic changed the world in unprecedented ways. Among other things, it transformed the way we study, work, and dress. As office meetings moved to Zoom, shirts and blazers gave way to pyjamas and hoodies. One such brand that benefited from the switch from smart to comfortable is Crocs – footwear renowned for its comfort and unique design.

Crocs CEO Andrew Rees recently spoke about how the pandemic brought success to the business.

“We did absolutely benefit from the pandemic, people were at home and in my view it accelerated that casualization trend we've seen for some time,” Rees told CNN.

“We've continued that post-pandemic, and we're seeing very strong growth in the Crocs brand,” he added.

The CEO of Crocs sees a bright future for the brand, saying that people don’t want to dress up as much as they did before. Instead, the general consumer is looking for footwear that is comfortable and provides value for money.

“The consumer is not focussed on buying high-priced, uncomfortable, fashion-centric, potentially leather long-lasting footwear anymore,” Rees told CNN. “There's a long term consumer trend that we're following which is casualization, comfort, easy on and off, and value.”

And despite the growing sentiment against fast fashion, Rees feels the average consumer still wants something “a little bit more disposable.”

They want something that is “right for me today but maybe not right for me tomorrow—but that doesn’t matter…I’ll buy something else” he opined.