Ugg’s Latest Fuzzy Slides Mix Lyocell With Reclaimed Wool

Ugg is following up March’s Plant Power Collection with a new line of eco-conscious styles.

Launched Thursday, the Icon-Impact Collection once again utilizes the Tencel-branded lyocell fibers at the center of Ugg’s Plant Power line. This time, however, the California lifestyle brand has mixed the plant-based material with reclaimed wool waste.

The Autumn/Winter line’s UGGplush material—a straightforward 50/50 mix of upcycled wool and Tencel lyocell—features predominantly as the eponymous fuzz in the Icon-Impact Collection’s Fuzz Sugar Slide and Fuzz Sugar Cross Slide. Both styles also incorporate Ugg’s sugarcane-based SugarSole foam material. According to Ugg, sugarcane absorbs 1.6 pounds of CO2 for every pound of petroleum-based ethylene it replaces.

The collection’s Classic Sugar Ultra Mini, meanwhile, features an upper made with UGGcycle, a leather-free sheepskin alternative that is 38 percent wool, 38 percent lyocell, 20 percent Unifi recycled polyester fibers and 4 percent silicone. The shoe’s mudguard is comprised of 60 percent GRS-certified recycled leather, 20 percent GRS-certified recycled polyester fibers and 20 percent polyurethane. Like the other two Icon-Impact styles, it features a SugarSole foam outsole.

Ugg is not just working to transition the materials it uses, but to help others in the industry do the same. This month, the Council of Fashion Designers of America—in partnership with Ugg—plans to debut an open-access Materials Hub aimed at helping fashion insiders discover and connect with investors, vendors and resources.

“The launch of the Materials Hub comes at a critical crossroads as climate change continues to impact our industry and planet,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb told Sourcing Journal in August. “The ever-increasing investment in advanced and responsible products, practices and services related to sourcing and innovative materials means that there are a high number of resources already out in the market and the Materials Hub aggregates them to highlight the leaders in the sector.”

Sales at Ugg climbed 70.8 percent year-over-year in the quarter ended June 30 to $213 million. While impressive, the revenue increase proved shallower than that of its sister brand Hoka One One, which saw its net sales leap 95.5 percent. The increase brought the running brand’s net sales to $213.1 million—just enough to edge out Ugg as Deckers Brands’ top-selling division.