The first Nontraditional Croc. Salehe Bembury x Crocs

Salehe Bembury and Crocs have already released two versions of their popular Pollex Clog, and to say they’ve been a hit would be an understatement. Both drops sold out in seconds and are currently selling for 2 to 3 times the retail price on the secondary market.

“The shoes consist of a hollowed-out structure that diverges from typical Crocs. The unique texture and pattern of the shoe mimic the fingerprint of American shoe designer Salehe Bembury and this in itself is a very unique concept from an artistic point of view. Visually and aesthetically similar to the popular Yeezy foam runners that first debuted in 2019, it’s not surprising that this new release has attracted the attention of many people. Although these shoes may not conform to everyone’s aesthetics and sense of style, there is no doubt that the design, concept, and efforts behind this release deserve recognition.” says Mandy C. a junior at AISG.

Last year, when Bembury released a teaser of the design on his Instagram, the Pollex Clog immediately became a hot topic, and rightfully so. These Crocs have broken the mold of its traditional structure for the first time, allowing Bembury to model the foam after his fingerprint. Since then, over 20 plus colorways have been released, with some sporting a translucent segment on the toe area that extends to the heel.

“I really like the nature-inspired design and the nontraditional look, however, this shoe isn’t for me,” says Helen H. a Sophomore at AISG.

In September 2021, musician Aminé posted him rocking a pair of Salehe Bembury’s Crocs, sending fans into a frenzy for the slime season-approved colorway. While Aminé’s clogs were customs, Bembury responded to fans’ demands with the “Crocodile” colorway, providing the first looks of it in January.

Announced on Salehe Bembury’s Instagram on April 25, the former Versace and Yeezy alum took to the social media platform to showcase the next three colorways of his second Crocs Pollex Clog drop, which includes “Crocodile,” “Stratus,” and “Urchin.”

Every time Salehe drops a new release, the footwear industry is sent into a frenzy. His consistent teasers — like the expected all-black “Sasquatch” iteration or even experimental colorways like rainbow Clogs, gradually increased the hype for his shoes with every post.

As expected, the latest round of Pollex Clogs, released on May 24 on Bembury’s site and May 25 on the Crocs site, started yet another feeding frenzy.