Despite the simple name, they’re essentially a Final Boss amalgamation of half a dozen popular fashion trends.

There’s the workwear-friendly double-knee silhouette, ironically chopped well above knee-length; the artisanal trompe l'oeil effect of white paint spatters and/or suspicious bodily fluids; the high-tech Japanese fabric with a fancy name in big, bold print on the leg. (AmbientWarp, for those not up on Satisfy’s latest sportswear innovations, is essentially fancier micro-twill poly that dries quickly.)  

Some might say we’ve strayed too far from God’s light, considering running shorts were just flimsy, hopelessly plain little bits of fabric stitched together. Others might say that even in this far more fashionable activewear era, these shorts are doing way too much. They’d all be wrong. 

We’re in the Wild West era of athletic clothes, where things are frankly ridiculous. Part of that is thanks to Satisfy’s grunge-loving founder, Brice Partouche, a skater and drummer who launched the French label to create a running wardrobe that matched his proclivity for tattered clothing—without losing any of the techy elements of good gear.

Satisfy has done “moth-bitten” T-shirts, and washed-out faux “denim” jorts (and actual denim with Levi’s). If we’re meant to live in a society where sweating profusely as you attempt to exercise also means flexing your fashion bona fides with the latest trendy sportswear brand, at least Satisfy’s maximalist shorts feel in on the joke. 

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There’s an irony to these associations, given that the brand’s roots actually began in workwear and, later, sportswear: A century ago, Australian shepherds handcrafted twin-faced sheepskin boots to keep their feet warm in shearing sheds; decades later, an Aussie named Brian Smith launched UGG out of a van in Southern California, selling the boot to fellow surfers in need of something cozy to wear between waves. 

This backstory, plus its dual commitment to comfort and craftsmanship, has become central to UGG's newest (and maybe most surprising) era as a fashion icon, beloved by your favorite brands and collaborators. 

The pivot has been slow and steady, spread across killer collaborations stretching back nearly a decade to the dual BAPE and KITH releases in 2018. The bench has gotten deep. Limited-edition twists on the brand’s shoe range have come from Telfar and Denim Tears, Collina Strada and sacai, Sesame Street and Jeremy Scott. Streetwear has found its way into the fold through Palace and Tokyo-based brand AMBUSH. There was even Gallery Dept.’s incredible Cowboy Boot and Willy Chavarria’s Biker Boot. 

Now, the footwear label might’ve just nabbed its biggest co-sign yet: a loafer hybrid designed by Jonathan Anderson. Yes, we literally got an UGG slide and boot by the Dior creative director before Grand Theft Auto 6. If that isn’t a signal that the surfer co-signed brand is on a hot streak befitting its insulating boots, I just don’t know what else could make the case. 

During a recent trip to London to celebrate the launch of the UGG x JW Anderson collection, we spoke with UGG Global Marketing Director Kenza Chaouai about Anderson’s involvement and what the brand looks for in a collaborator. 

This interview has been condensed and edited.

This is arguably UGG’s biggest collaboration yet. Did you approach Anderson, or did he come to you? 

Jonathan was already a fan of UGG and approached us about collaborating. We’ve long admired his work, so we shared a mutual appreciation from the start, along with [an appreciation for] craftsmanship and comfort. That laid the foundation, and as we explored together, we realized how much potential there was. 

He has a gift for taking something familiar and making you see it differently. Bringing the Classic Boot and Tasman together with the language of the loafer created something unexpected that feels true to both brands. For us, this felt like the right moment to celebrate that connection and explore comfort through a new perspective. 

What perspective did he bring to UGG?

Jonathan is undeniably one of the great designers and creative directors of our generation. He has such a distinct vision, and we empower our partners to do what they do best. In this case, he brought his perspective to the Classic Boot and Tasman; their recognizable shapes, craftsmanship, materials and comfort were both the canvas and the inspiration.

He also brought a beautiful story that I think honors both brands, one that celebrates  daily rituals and the personal connection we have with what we wear. There’s something meaningful about a pair of shoes becoming part of your routine and the way you express yourself. That feels very true to UGG. Jonathan has given people a new way to experience these familiar icons and make them their own. 

Why do you think so many designers keep finding their way to UGG? 

We really listen. We know who we are, and we look for partners who have an equally clear point of view and an authentic connection to UGG. Jonathan approached us because he loved the brand and the product. That gave us a meaningful starting point to explore what we share, what’s distinct to each of us, and where an interesting creative tension lies. Both brands need to have a voice in what we create together.

For us, collaborations are about storytelling, through both the design and the narrative around it. There has to be a story worth telling and a reason for the product to exist. We want to create something that makes people feel, whether that’s a connection to something familiar or the excitement of seeing it differently. 

The launch wasn’t a runway show or a store event. It was a house party in a London townhouse dating back to the 1880s. Why that setting?

For JW Anderson, we chose London because it's a city that feels like home to both Jonathan and his namesake brand. We took over the townhouse for a party inspired by the beauty of everyday rituals. It felt like being invited into someone’s world; shoes were placed as though someone had just slipped them off, drinks were hand-crafted, and music brought everyone together. Those details let people experience the story behind the product.

Many celebrities wear UGG without an official partnership in place. How do you decide who to work with, and does it matter if they already wear the brand?

Authenticity is really important to us. The most meaningful stories come from a real connection. Sometimes we love what someone is doing and see a connection to our brand values; other times, they already have their own relationship with UGG. Either can be the beginning of something special.

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Double Wool Is the New Double Denim

The sheep's greatest gift to man is an age-old, often invisible protectant against cold, winds, and moisture. And even though wool famously keeps the body toasty, it doesn’t always have to look the part. Some of the best woolen garments, in fact, bear no resemblance to that favorite frumpy sweater of yours. Today, technically sophisticated applications of the material can be found across price points and categories. The unexpected shapes wool can take beyond your classic Shetland knitwear allow for an autumn wardrobe that’s weather-ready, sans the literal and visual bulk usually associated with it. Because as much as I love a fuzzy v-neck, the goal is to stay warm without seeming so: That's what's hot!

All forms of attire can be laced with wool if you pay close enough attention (and you don’t need an aptitude for winter sports to care, either): I’m seeing it neatly entwined into Rick Owens’ cargos, Working's two-faced trousers, A Kind of Guise's jeans, Clarks’ felt Wallabees, Merrell's tweedy houndstooth sneakers, and Satisfy's psychedelic activewear even. In an era when everyone is geeking out over natural fibers, for better or worse, wool is enjoying a great sartorial (re)consideration.

A few godsends for when it's brisk out but not-quite-puffer-weather include merino basics in the vein of COS’ henleys or Son of a Tailor's high-collared tees. These itchless base-layer blends can carry one through the changing seasons well into the thick of winter. My personal secret weapon in this regard, however, is the wool shirt. To be clear, I'm not talking about traditional flannels à la Pendleton, nice as they are. I mean shirts in which the wool used is woven so finely that one would suspect from afar (and frankly up close) that it’s regular cotton. Auralee has great skills in this department, as seen in button-ups and plain long-sleeves alike. So do peers Ssstein and vowels, to name a few, alongside Massimo Dutti and Banana Republic on the budget-friendlier front. 

​Similarly, my favorite wool jackets are the type that don’t immediately identify as one: MAN-TLE's rust-colored blouson, Tender Co.'s mustard chore coat, and A.Presse's rib-trimmed bomber lend themselves as ideal examples for when wool quietly shows off its functional traits over texture, in designs that are very deliberately un-soft in appearance. It's almost a paradox, in turn, that surveying the market for the very deliberately soft design of a fleece revealed how hard it is to find one that isn't simply treated to imitate wool. RIER's version is as pretty and purist as when it first went viral a few years ago — and it’s still a rare exception. While Kestin goes coarser, Fera’s is fluffier, Universal Works does it overshirt-y, and Norse Projects has a sherpa-style, these contenders only include varying percentages of real wool (costing a mere fraction of the aforementioned brand's $1,000/100% hero piece). But they are no less handsome. L.L. Bean's fleecy camo pants, on the other hand…

Unlike denim-on-denim, head-to-toe leather, or full linen, it’s hard to overdo it on wool. Dressing with a double wool look (or even triple or quadruple, if you're feeling frisky/that chilly) is at its strongest when it goes virtually unnoticed by everyone but its discerning wearer. It’s understated and elegant — and only you know how truly cozy you are. 

Open Tabs: Everything We've Got Our Eyes On Right Now

• ROA x Wrangler's grayscale camo denim capsule is hunting-adjacent gear worth, well, hunting for. 

• As someone whose favorite weather is “cold sun,” I cannot wait to whip out these Satisfy x Oakley sunglasses for an icy, blue-skied day out. 

• For what is now the third time, NOAH x Timex is coming for the wrists of preppy guys everywhere, charming them with the Boatswain's soft-edged dial and retro roman numerals.

• LOEWE x On is another partnership I'm glad has lasted, with this latest drop of mountain-appropriate apparel and hike-y footwear being its steeziest yet, imho. 

• These UGG x JW Anderson shoes could very well be snuggliest loafer(-ish) shoes in history. 

• I'll be honest, these silvery suede KITH x Giorgio Armani x ASICS sneakers really weren't on my bingo card for 2026. That doesn't make them any less suave though. 

• These ridiculously cozy Arc'teryx recovery boots come with removable slippers. That's it. That's the pitch. I, for one, am won over.

• Nautical steppers have gone through so many makeovers these past fashion weeks that this gator-embossed Timberland x Jacquemus iteration reads as almost tame. 

• The chunky Kiko Kostadinov x Crocs moc-toe derbies have landed, and will really make you wonder if you've ever seen kicks like ‘em before. (PS: Use code "CROCTOBER25" for 25% off!)

• Let's hear it for the Saucony x Highsnobiety collab, featuring an ultra-light performance runner plus a meshy everyday dad pair. For most of y’all, that's fall footwear sorted right there. 

• Lastly, a heads up on the week's best bargains: Get an extra 20% off on Mytheresa sale purchases above $350; "FALLFAVES" gets you a 25% rebate at New Balance; and The Webster has reductions on luxury for up to 80%.

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If you think one of New York’s most interesting vintage fashion collection is tucked inside some pristine Manhattan boutique, you’d be very wrong.

Abe Lange, known online as @sumshitifound and cofounder of Distressed Fest, has amassed an impeccable archive regularly visited by stylists, musicians, athletes, and other A-list talent. Fashion designers are particularly easy to spot, he says, because of the way they look at things. “They’re really taking their time and will study a detail,” he says. “They’ll say, ‘This one’s not that great, but this pocket’s really interesting.’”

What are they searching for? Rare runway pieces or grail-worthy designer labels? No, they want stained shirts, shredded workwear, strange repairs, faded fabrics, or a single pocket on an otherwise unremarkable jacket.

Lange is not your average secondhand dealer. His collection spans everything from apparel to folk art and antiques; his eye is so honed that he also works as an antiques appraiser on Antiques Roadshow. This is not some fly-by-night operation: Lange is the real deal.

What began as a side hustle for flipping designer clothing in college started to shift once ordinary markers of value became less appealing. Lange became increasingly attracted to things whose worth was harder to quantify, things steeped in what he calls “subjective value.”

To the untrained eye, Lange's finds may initially appear worthless. A jacket torn beyond repair and a shirt could be permanently stained. Something may have been altered so many times that it's barely recognizable. But these distinctions are exactly the qualities intrigue Lange. And, increasingly, fashion at large.

“I work with a lot of stylists who will rent stuff or buy stuff for editorial use,” Lange says. “Distressed stuff is really nice to juxtapose with really clean stuff.” And, right now, this stuff is big business.

Lange’s archive isn't only appealing to folks looking to shop — for many, it's a fashion resource. A century of wear produces things that are difficult to convincingly recreate. What was once mere damage becomes a design reference.

“I’ll be digging around in a barn or talking with a connection in France or somewhere in Asia, and I’ll be picturing which designer or house this might end up with,” Lange says. “Being that bridge is really fulfilling.”

Because Lange’s collection is a mix of reference points, saleable objects, collectibles, and random finds, it exists outside the conventional hierarchy of fashion collecting. The importance of an object doesn’t necessarily begin with the designer who made it, the celebrity who wore it, or the price it recently achieved at auction.

Value is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes, it's the age of an object, the simple fact that something survived long enough for Lange to find it. Sometimes, it's a distinct wear pattern unique to the garment. Sometimes, it's just a vibe.

Spend enough time digging through Lange's stash and “distressed” begins to feel like an inadequate word to describe what you find. "Distressing" is something fashion does to make new clothes appear old. Lange is an adherent of the real thing: clothes that have actually been used, worn, loved, damaged, darned, forgotten, found, and reborn. Clothes with soul.

For the civilians out there, the GSG9 is a high-performance tactical boot. Sure, adidas' fashion and athletic pursuits tend to take center stage, but the Three Stripes also get quite active where the armed forces are concerned.

The GSG9 is best known for its boot form, but the sneaker iteration is just as tough.

The heavy-duty, lugged rubber outsole enhances traction, while durable leather and suede beef up the shoes' wearability.

Antwerp takes this tactile quintessence and warps it into something decidedly more dapper through an asymmetrical lacing system that gives the shoe a bit of edgy wabi-sabi. The classic Three Stripes takes on an inconspicuous form as a slanted set of perforated lines.

adidas has taken similar twists and turns with previous collaborations like the contorted Y-3 Stan Smith sneaker or the equally slanted Tokyo sneaker. adidas isn't afraid to take its classic sneakers to some seriously twisted places.

On the whole, Arte Antwerp respects the design codes that sit aside the GSG9's militant disposition. The muted hues keep things simple, and the only real disruption comes in the form of small "arte" branding near the collar of the shoe.

For such a twisted shoe, this take on the GSG9 is quite normal.

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While it's not an official collab, this woven slipper allows us to fantasize about a universe where the king of cozy collabs with the king of intrecciato to give us the ultimate in luxury slipper offerings. A shoe lover can dream, right?

For now, though, the woven Tasman slip-on is more than enough. Hand-woven suede takes over the upper in a fashion similar to Bottega Veneta's own woven offerings like the maison's Leather Clog Mule.

Despite what viral fall outfit videos would have us believe, UGG's Tasman slipper has been around for a long time. It was around back in the aughts when UGG first solidified itself as a household name. But in 2022, things really took an upward turn for the backless shoe. Suddenly, people couldn't get enough of the Tasman slipper, and it's not hard to see why.

The comfort of a house shoe with a durable outsole that can rough it out in the wild. What's not to love? Ok, maybe not the actual wild, but the slip-on is certainly equipped to leave the perimeter of your bedroom.

Available on the UGG website for $205, the Tasman slip-on comes in olive green, Chestnut, and black.

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This Jordan 1 debuted in Fall 2025 as a weatherized sneaker with more practical details and ultra-chunky, tire-like lug soles. Oh, and it also came with GORE-TEX tech, making it waterproof and breathable.

A year later, the winterized Jordan 1 Element Low sneaker has returned in fresh color schemes. Specifically, there's a "Cream II" version that offers a mostly faint brown look with golden accents. It might sound like a crazy color combo, but it's actually pretty clean.

The OG AJ1 sneaker has loads of everyday appeal, which is one of the things that makes it a game-changing hoops shoe. The Jordan 1 Element Low takes it a step further. It's an AJ1 built to last all day, every day, and through whatever weather. Can't knock that.

And it's now available in "Cream II" for $205 on Nike's website.

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