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When most people think of anime fashion, they probably (and understandably) think about anime-themed t-shirts. Some people may even think of things like stylish jackets, cosplay, or something a little more complicated. But what people rarely think of are anime-themed shoes. While there have beena few anime shoe collaborationsin the past couple of months, one that was just announced last week is currently getting people online talking quite a bit.
Near the start of last week, Japanese news website PR Times posted a press release announcing the unexpected collaboration of popular shoe brand Crocs with none other than mega-anime seriesDragon Ball Z. Crocs are usually famous for strongly dividing people everywhere into arguments about fashion vs comfort, and not usually for having anime-themed footwear. With this announcement, though, that is about to change, becauseDragon Ball Zfans can display their love for the series while enjoying having comfy feet.
Dragon Ball Z x Crocs
Go Super Saiyan in Comfort
TheDragon Ball Zcollaboration with Crocs consists of two main shoe designs along with several special Jibbitz™ (shoe charms), all themed after the classic anime. The first pair of Crocs are the Classic Clogs, which areinspired by Goku. The shoes are orange, blue, and white, and even the strap on them looks like Goku’s belt with a fake tie design. They also have the name of the anime on the back. According to the Crocswebsite, these shoes are
footwear with main character energy. TheDragon Ball ZClassic Clog is inspired by Goku, everyone’s favorite Saiyan raised on earth.
The second pair in the Echo Clog cut, and areinspired by Vegeta. The colors are light green, white, and blue, inspired by Vegeta’s recognizable battle armor. From the top, the design on the shoes even looks like his armor, making them recognizable for what they are, even with a less distinct color scheme than the Goku pair. Thewebsitedescribes these Vegeta shoes as:
This fully molded Dragon Ball Z version is anything but conformist. With bold sculpting, an upper inspired by Vegeta, and themed Jibbitz™ charms, your style potential is unmatched.
Both of the Crocs designs come in both adult and child sizes. They also come with exclusive Jibbitz™ charms that cannot be bought separately from the shoes. For the Goku pair,these include Shenron, and the Vegeta pack includes Vegeta’s name written in Japanese. Additionally, a five-pack of Jibbitz™ that has a Dragon Ball, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Frieza is available to buy separately for anyone wanting to add more charms to their shoes.
Even More Licensed Crocs for Otaku
It Doesn’t Stop atDragon Ball Z
If you thought thatDragon Ball Zwas the only otaku-themed shoes you could get from Crocs, you were wrong. It is only the latest series that the footwear brand has collaborated with, and several other officially licensed collaborations are also available even on the North American website for the shoe company. BeyondDragon Ball Z, fans can also pick upPokémon,Gundam,andNarutoShippudenCrocs, too. For fans that also like Western media, Crocs also makesMarvel,Star Wars, andDisneycollaboration shoes as well, just to name a few.
The Vice President of Crocs Japan, LLC, Atsuhi Hasegawa said of the collaboration in the originalpress release(translated),
Crocs takes pride in celebrating individuality and self-expression. I am looking forward to seeing what life will be brought to life by all people who enjoy self-expression and passionate Dragon Ball fans through this collaboration, and I believe that there is no partner who can achieve that more than Dragon Ball.
Whether you like Crocs or not, they definitely are a leading company when it comes to making footwear for pop-culture fans. While Crocs will always remain divisive in the fashion community, and the debate about whether their “ugly” style is worth it for their comfort, you have to admit that Crocs are doing well when it comes to appealing to fans. Plus, they are not only available in Japan, but also available internationally as well. TheDragon Ball ZCrocs will go on sale in Japan from February 26th, and while there is no official release date abroad yet, they are available to pre-order now.
Dragon Ball ZCrocs are available for pre-order in North Americahere, and the United Kingdomhere. WatchDragon Ball Znow onCrunchyroll.
