In recent years, our Australian UGG market has been flooded with cheaply constructed Chinese made UGG boots, which are often cleverly packaged up to mislead consumers about their origins. For most people, there is an expectation that if the product has an UGG logo on the back of the boot, it must be Australian made. Annoyingly, this couldn't be further from the truth, and companies (both within Australia and abroad) are still going to great lengths to deceive the public about where the UGG boots they sell are made. UGG Since 1974 produces UGG boots which are entirely made in Australia and is one of the only companies in the world from whom genuine Australian UGG boots can be purchased.
This week, another Australian retailer of Chinese Made UGG boots has been exposed by the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) for selling UGG boots made in China, but giving its customers the false impression that their UGG boots were Australian Made. The company in question, known as "Ozwear", made various representations and used marketing and packaging tools to mislead consumers about the origins of their UGG boots, when in fact, they are completely made in China.
Take a look at the labels on the side of these Chinese made "Ozwear" UGG boots.
The tag also included the words: “this exclusive premium label is uniquely Australian owned brand for authentic Australian Ugg boots.”
The reality of these UGG boots is that they were constructed in China and were not in any way, Australian made UGG boots. The ACCC has labelled Ozwear's conduct as "unacceptable" and has correctly remarked that "when false or misleading representations are made about a product being Australian made, consumers may end up paying more for no reason at all and businesses who are genuinely making their products in Australia lose out”.
Unfortunately, this type of conduct is the norm in our industry and it is becoming increasingly difficult to purchase genuine, Australian made UGG boots, with over 96% of UGG boots available throughout the world being made in China or other parts of Asia. The biggest retailer of UGG boots in the world, UGG® does not make any of their UGG boots in Australia, yet we meet thousands of customers in our retail stores every year who are shocked to learn that the UGG® products they have been buying for many years are not Australian made.
For many years, we have been encouraging our customers to be discerning when buying their UGG boots and to ensure that the first thing they do is check the sew in label inside the product, which will always reveal if the product is made in Australia. If the sew in label says Made in Australia, then you're on the right track, but it is still wise to ask where in Australia the product is made, and whether the company is Australian owned. If there is no sew in label, or the sew in label does not say where the product was made, then it is almost certainly not Australian made. We've even spoken to a retail staff member from a smaller UGG boot retailer who revealed that part of their job was to literally cut out "Made in China" sew in labels from UGG boots which their former employer had imported from China, in order to mislead consumers about where the products their employer was selling, were made.
In the case of Ozwear, the ACCC has issued fines of $25,200, and whilst this is a step in the right direction, it is not sufficient to rectify a widespread issue in Australia that companies continue to take advantage of consumers by misleading them about where their products are actually made. Hopefully though, the publicity is a well needed reminder to consumers to be diligent when purchasing UGG boots, especially if you are exclusively interested in genuine Australian made UGG boots.
As our ever-growing loyal customers know, we at UGG Since 1974 are one of the only remaining Australian manufacturers of UGG boots. Our boots feature a "Made in Australia" sew in label, our Australian factory on the Gold Coast is open to the public for tours, and if you head over to our Instagram (@UGGsince1974) you'll see footage of us making new UGG boots in Australia for our customers every single day.
Thanks again to all of our customers both within Australia and abroad, who continue to support UGG Since 1974.
Imagine if an Australian company applied for and received the rights to the word ‘baseball’. Then this same company went round the world suing anybody who dared to use this generic American word.
An American company has taken the generic Australian word ‘Ugg’ (for a sheepskin boot) and done just that. I’ll refrain from using the company name, (they sue just about anybody) but they now sell Chinese-made fake boots around the world under the name Ugg which they were granted ownership of by the US patents office.
If a genuine Australian manufacturer tries to sell genuine Australian-made Ugg boots into the USA then this company will take them to court and wipe them out.
This US company even has stores in Australia selling their fake boots. They have no shame, no ethics, no morals and the US courts back their actions.
So folks, our American friends can sometimes be massive hypocrites. Look very carefully before you buy. Check the background and bonafides and sources of a seller. Buy the real thing from a real Australian maker and you’ll have some great boots and you won’t be supporting this robbery of a national Australian icon.