Style

Japan calls for Crocs redesign after escalating injuries

by Rob Peters | April 23, 2008 at 06:52 pm

993 views | 5 Recommendations | 9 comments

I apologize to any Croc-lovers in advance because I'm sure they're comfortable, but Crocs have got to go. They're OK in a garden, maybe, but they're just not a reasonable solution for modern urban living.

Back to the point of the article though...apparently Japanese Crocs are being redesigned because they've been causing injuries to to the escalated. Weird, right?

To their millions of devotees they are the perfect summer accoutrement; to their detractors they are the footwear for people who have abandoned all sense of style. Now Crocs are the target of a stern safety warning issued by the Japanese authorities.
Japan's trade ministry has asked the US manufacturer of the ultra-light plastic clogs to improve the material and design of the footwear following a rash of accidents in which wearers, mainly children, were injured while using escalators.

Victims have suffered broken toes, gashes and bruising after their shoes became trapped between the steps and the side of the escalator.
The ministry has also asked Japan's railways stations and department stores to display warnings about the perils, particularly for small children, of wearing the highly flexible shoes on escalators.

It said that last year Crocs or other lightweight plastic shoes had been involved in 65 accidents between June and November - the height of the Croc-wearing season.

Tests by Japan's National Institute of Technology and Evaluation found that the shoes, made mainly from polyethylene resin, were susceptible to "catching" on escalators and moving walkways.

Crocs, whose headquarters are near Denver, has started improving its shoes in response to concerns in Japan, where it has sold 3.9m pairs.

But the firm said that most of the escalator accidents, which have been recorded in 10 countries including the US, were caused by poor "user riding behaviour" rather than the shoes themselves.

Last year a two-year-old girl wearing rubber clogs had her big toe ripped off in an escalator accident in Singapore.

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cynthia yoo

at 20:37 on April 23rd, 2008

Crocs are hideous...except for that ballet-slipper style released last year...but those aren't crocs, are they, not really!

PEP

at 22:44 on April 23rd, 2008

Yes, they are hideous. I thought one of my best friends was NUTS when she started wearing them (lime green) and then talked me into trying them in the Whole Foods store.

The other part of this is: they're so darned comfortable. I've had my own bright pink pair for more than a year now, maybe close to 2 years. Funniest thing:their role in my action when we had a motorcycle-truck wreck in front of my bank one day. So I wound up directing traffic for almost half an hour during rush hour on one of our busiest four-lane streets. Wardrobe: bright blue capri's, matching floral-themed tunic shirt, straw Madeleine boater wuth bow and ribbon--and PINK CROCS! Maybe people listened to me because the crocs scared 'em. ;}

Seriously, try 'em. Especially in summer. Then again, I've been known to wear them in winter, with socks, for piddlng around the house. I see women everywhere wearing 'em with socks, or without, depending on weather. The only thing they aren't good for: taking long walks. Otherwise: great. It's like getting a foot massage when you walk. And the rain and puddles don't bother them at all. In fact, they're fun to splash in.

brendanms

at 00:37 on April 24th, 2008

World renowned graffiti artists Revok and Retna from the crew AWR MSK represent hard in their shinny new Crocs.

brendanms has contributed a photo to this story.

hibiscusroto

at 04:14 on April 24th, 2008

hibiscusroto has contributed a photo to this story.

Mastodon

at 05:23 on April 24th, 2008

Crocs are the most gnarly-godawful-ugly ass looking shoes on the planet. However, they are like that ugly mutt that no one wants at the Dog Pound. Once you get 'em home & try 'em out you instantly fall in loe with 'em. They are perfect for everything excep black tie events (unless you're Mario the cook) & riding on escalators (I keep tripping on mine 'cause they tend to stick to the floor) but I can't take 'em off 'cause they are so damn comfortable. They are just perfect for schlepping around in the daytime, where the fashion police don't care what you wear to the post office, grocery store or the Olive Garden. I wear Pumas @ night, I'm not that crazy!<G>