Founded in 2002 by boating buddies Lyndon Hanson, Scott Seamans, and George Boedecker, the original Croc was a foot-forming clog made of antibacterial, lightweight (6 oz), proprietary resin (now dubbed Croslite) by a Canadian company called Foam Creations, Inc. One of the partners wore the clogs on a sailing trip, and mutual light bulbs went off. After tweaking the design by adding a strap to the back, they licensed the material and trotted their newfangled footwear out to a few boat shows, where they promptly sold out.

This was an auspicious beginning. Word of mouth spread the Crocs love like wildfire, to the tune of US$ 1 million of product sold in 2003. They went on to acquire Foam Creations in 2004 and, in building the brand, Crocs cast its net wide in targeting… well… everyone, with comfortable, egalitarian designs suitable for men, women, and children.

Sold at a digestible price point (under US$ 30 a pair), Crocs are easy to find, easy to buy, and easy to wear—a trifecta that helped transform a budding brand into the perfect trend.

The genius of Crocs is that they are a truly customizable product. Intelligent branding and endorsements have allowed Crocs to hitch its wagon to other monster sport brands and organizations, like Major League Baseball, the National Football League, NASCAR, and Disney in the US. These affiliations enabled Crocs to capitalize on wider visibility and nudge the trend into a verifiable craze driven by people who collect them.

The company has introduced new product lines like CrocsRX, designed specifically for diabetics, and “collegiate” Crocs, featuring emblems of a long list of colleges and universities.

As with many homegrown brands that skyrocket to success, ideas for brand expansion can happen by accident. Crocs officially adopted Jibbitz, the company that makes the clay/rhinestone figurines of animals, symbols, and other cutesy doo-dads that snap into the holes in Crocs, after a co-founder of Crocs met the Jibbitz founder’s daughter at a swimming pool. Last year, Crocs purchased Jibbitz, for US$ 20 million.

Although the Niwot, Colorado-based company has faced some challenges in meeting the tremendous demand for its product, Crocs can be found at mall stands, major retailers, and signature stores around the globe, even as far as Singapore and Australia. It was recently published that one in six Israelis owns a pair.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Crocs continues in its quest to be all shoes to all people. Aside from setting its sights on flagship stores and a wider scope of marketable endorsements, it plans to introduce new product offerings, such as YoubyCrocs—sexy fall/winter wedge heel designs for women using Crocs technology for comfort, due to launch this fall.

Will winterized high heeled Crocs sell as well as rainbow-hued, collectible US$ 30 disposable clogs? Tune in this time next year to see if the Crocs brand is known for being a disposable trend or harbinger of innovative shoe technology.

Vivian Manning-Schaffel is a freelance writer who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.