Ugg is ramping up its focus on its men’s collection this fall with a new campaign starring Post Malone.
According to the Deckers-owned footwear brand, its new partnership with the nine-time diamond-certified Grammy Award-nominated rapper encompasses a global campaign. It features the Ugg men’s Weather Hybrid Collection, a refreshed take on the brand’s iconic Neumel ($180) and Tasman ($150) silhouettes boasting a bright “Big Sky” blue hue outsole, and a partnership to bring Feel House, the brand’s multi-sensory retail experience, to life in Los Angeles later this year.
Conceptualized and shot by friends and co-creators Ramez “Mezzy” Silyan and Adam DeGross, the global campaign, dubbed “Lead a Horse,” depicts Post coaxing his trusty but stubborn horse Jasper over a small puddle, which playfully communicates the Weather Hybrid collection’s waterproof features. To complement the campaign, looks were expertly curated by the rapper’s longtime stylist Catherine Hahn.
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While the new partnership may not seem obvious, Silyan told FN in an interview that Post Malone has been a longtime fan of Ugg. “Before this partnership had come about, Ugg had made Post a custom pair of camo Ugg Classic boots that he wore everywhere,” Silyan said. “I’m pretty sure every time I saw him, he had them on, he even wore them at the super bowl when he performed. So, it really was very natural.”
When coming up with the concept for the shoot, Silyan said he wanted to use the brand in a completely new way. “Thinking about Ugg, I wanted to use the brand in a way we’ve never seen before,” he said. “It hit me that it could easily double for a sort of cowboy’s boot of choice, and I immediately saw Post as a ‘Lone Cowboy’ in the old west.”
“Once I had the idea, it felt incredibly natural, playing into Post’s current laid back modern country aesthetic, while paying tribute to classic Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s with Ugg centered within each story,” Silyan continued. “When you watch any of Sergio Leone’s westerns, the cowboy boot is such an iconic piece of wardrobe, it’s akin to their superhero costume, along with their horse. It was important for me to create something that felt like an obvious marriage, but not so much so that it didn’t stand out.”
For Post Malone, the partnership comes naturally, as he is a longtime customer of the footwear brand. “I’ve been a Ugg fan since high school and feel so good wearing the boots. I even had a custom camo pair made for me last year,” said Post Malone in a statement. “That’s why I’m so excited to work with the brand and bring in my crew for this new campaign. Being comfortable to express myself has always been at my core, and that’s why this is such a killer partnership.”
“We’re thrilled to have Post Malone as our new men’s ambassador,” said Anne Spangenberg, president of Ugg, added. “Ugg is all about being comfortable to express yourself, so to partner with Post Malone to express his creativity and co-create our new campaign with us is truly an honor.”
“Lead a Horse” will live globally through public relations, social media, and paid media, including out-of-home, and across the brand’s stores and website. Later this season, the brand will unveil a second spot featuring Post Malone in a new men’s Ugg footwear style.
This new campaign comes as Ugg places more attention on its men’s category. In an interview with FN in August, Spangenberg said the brand still has opportunity in the men’s space – a segment outgoing Deckers chief executive officer Dave Powers has also pinpointed.
“I never thought that I would say that we were underserving men,” Spangenberg said in August. “But we’ve got a huge opportunity. I’m very excited and very proud of the work that our team have done to better understand our men’s consumers and the opportunity in that space and to better serve them.”
What’s on deck for the men’s collection? The executive noted new platform silhouettes, updates to the Tasman and a new loafer coming in the spring. “There’s a lot of energy around the men’s styles that we are going to deliver this season, and in the seasons to come,” she added.
