Understanding ugg boots: Travels through place, space and time

Abstract

Although the origins of ugg boots are distinctly Australian, the ugg story has evolved through a number of different threads that shape our perceptions of the humble sheepskin boot. There is an international media narrative of ugg boots that, although rooted in Australian surf culture, shifts its focus to the world of celebrity culture and more recently, fashion institutions such as Parisian runways. In Australia, the media discourse on the ugg boot follows a very different trajectory; this narrative is concerned with agricultural practices, sporting activities and social etiquette that connect with the Australian landscape and a sense of national identity. This study traces the recent histories of ugg boots to explore the themes and tensions between differing constructions of this object through place, space and time.