| As winter eases off from the southern | | | | in November 2005, that Christmas was a bumper |
| hemisphere and creeps north, last year's rush | | | | sales year for ugg boots and sheepskin |
| on comfortable, warm sheepskin ugg boots is | | | | footwear items. No similar major media event |
| set to happen all over again. Analysts have | | | | triggered the winter run on sheepskin boots |
| tried to figure out why, but anybody who owns | | | | the following year, however. The only |
| a pair of ugg boots just smiles and winks. | | | | reasonable explanation for the continued ugg |
| | | | boots demand is that word of mouth and |
| As noted by expert internet analysts Heather | | | | lifelong fans are driving the continued |
| Hopkins and Bill Tancer from Hitwise, last | | | | popularity of sheepskin boots. |
| year's northern hemisphere Christmas period | | | | |
| searches for "ugg boots" on the major search | | | | * Northern hemisphere ugg boots fans have |
| engines were up more than six-fold. So, as | | | | also been quick to realise that ugg boots |
| these analysts ask, what gives? | | | | cost much less (a third of the price in some |
| | | | cases) than ugg boots and sheepskin slippers |
| As noted by Hitwise and others, sheepskin ugg | | | | sold in local stores. For this reason, |
| boots have certainly become more popular in | | | | entrepreneurial-minded individuals have been |
| seasonal winter periods. Combine a | | | | buying Australian ugg boots in bulk for |
| particularly cold northern winter with a | | | | resale at a reasonable markup in the UK, |
| Christmas shopping frenzy and you have a | | | | Europe, US and Canada, but still much cheaper |
| sure-fire runaway ugg boots season. | | | | than local stores. |
| | | | |
| However, such a dramatic increase in ugg | | | | * While there is much debate surrounding the |
| boots popularity from one winter to the next | | | | fashionableness of ugg boots, everyone who |
| must mean more than just an unusually cold | | | | owns a pair of genuine sheepskin boots agrees |
| winter. Commentators have noted the following | | | | that focusing on how fashionable they are is |
| factors that appear to be contributing to the | | | | largely missing the point. Once you've owned |
| massive increase in demand for sheepskin ugg | | | | a pair of genuine ugg boots, you very quickly |
| boots: | | | | forget how fashionable or not they may be, |
| | | | and instead comment more on how amazingly |
| * The increased demand is not specific to | | | | warm and comfortable their sheepskin wool |
| only one country. The UK, US, Canada and | | | | fleece is. And don't get me started on |
| Australia all experienced significantly | | | | ugg-style sheepskin slippers... |
| increased demand over last year, so much so | | | | |
| that many Australian suppliers actually ran | | | | Whatever the reasons for more and more people |
| out of stock and for a period were unable to | | | | searching online for quality ugg boots, |
| meet the unprecedented local and export | | | | discount ugg boots, ugg boots sales, |
| demand for sheepskin boots, sheepskin | | | | sheepskin slippers, and related ugg footwear, |
| slippers, and other ugg variety items. | | | | one thing is clear: comfortable sheepskin ugg |
| | | | boots are here to stay, whether it be as |
| * After the well-publicised "Oprah's | | | | fashion accessory or as must-have winter |
| favourite things" show aired around the world | | | | feet-warmers. |