Alife, a New York City activewear brand, collaborated with the infamous shoe retailer to bring you Crocs with built-in socks. Pairing socks with sandals has always been a questionable choice, and the Sock Crocs fly right in the face of anyone who would doubt that choice. The white Crocs, with the Alife logo on the side, has a calf-length tube sock attached to the sandal with bold red and blue stripes. And here we thought Balenciaga’s Crocs platform took things to the next level. Dadcore aficionados will probably be very into these.
Alife is bringing us Sock Crocs in three different styles—art, sport, and classic—and the most over-the-top one is the Art model, featuring 3D-printed Jibbitz (shoe decorations) of NYC landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. These so-dorky-they’re-cool shoes will set you back $600, a pricy pair of Crocs, yes, but less than Balenciaga’s $1,000 price tag.
“This style was born from part fashion trend, part hood reality, and the want of touching upon my youth,” Rob Cristofaro, Alife’s founder and chief creative officer, told GQ. “The tube sock was a staple for me while growing up in New York in the 1970s. In the boroughs of New York, you would see kids rocking socks with the Adidas slides. The concept was really to take something as next-level as a Croc and mix it with these elements.”