ot sure what this all means or what's been going on behind the scenes, but I just got some interesting news in my e-mailbox on Wednesday: Ugglebo is changing its name to Sandgrens. From what I've read, it's a brand name that has as much heritage as Ugglebo. And there's some reasoning behind the transition that's been offered:
Why Sandgrens?
Both our founder and his son Christer (our current Clog Master) learned the art of clog making at the Sandgrens factory in Sweden during the 1950’s. It was there that clog making became more than just a job; it became an art and a passion for our entire family, now in its 3rd generation.
Sandgrens is the oldest clog brand (that we know of) and was once the largest. Our aim isn’t to be the largest clog brand moving forward but we remain committed to and what to intensely focus on all of the same core principles and fundamentals that you have come to expect from Ugglebo.
I'm guessing there've been some changes in management and/or ownership, but I've got nothing to base that on besides common sense and intuition. That and the fact that there's a new name being promoted in connection with the company. And a new face, too, judging from the promotional video on the landing page for the Sandrens web site. I grabbed a few images to share with you below, but you can pay www.sandgrensclogs.com a visit and have a look for yourself.
And I noted that the video even featured a wooden wedge sandal that I couldn't find in their web pages. The shape of things to come perhaps?
What I did find on the Sandrens Clogs site, though, were a couple items we had a healthy discussion about a year or so back on Every Clog Has Its Day: wood soled clog boots for men. As they indicated they would, they did finally get a couple of wood soled chukka boots to market for men...though not with the non-traditional sole many readers were advocating for. You can find their offerings here. In black and brown in sizes 41 to 47.
Personally, I find the boot options on the Boots pages for women much more inviting. The nail head and the higher squared off heel win me over every time. Though I notice there's some disparity between how actual shoes are being constructed. The Wild Mushroom colored Philly boot has nail heads while the Berry colored Philly does not.
One last thing to mention: Ugglebo, I mean, Sandgrens is having a contest to win $500.00 worth of merchandise from their website. Got a digital camera, a Facebook account, and the necessary footwear? Then click through to the contest page to read more!
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[On my feet as I blog: here's a pair I had to let sit idle all summer: a sock lined clog boot that I bought from Topshop a couple years back. Because of the woven lining, they're much too warm to wear in anything but cool weather. How fun to get reacquainted with them, too, this fall!]
Lindsey, I see the nailheads vs. staples disparity runs throughout the selections—could be a matter of product shots being used? Still, were I to order a pair, I'd be asking which way they came—these are more expensive than Multnomahs, yet they are not one of a kind like Mark's clogs, so there's no good reason to not know what one is buying!
Posted by: Melissa Krebs | 11/01/2012 at 12:32 PM
Melissa: It would be a nice option for them to offer a choice of nailheads vs. staples. Personally, I think the Ugglebo nailhead design is quite distinctive. I would hate to see them drop it.
Posted by: Lindsey Cochran | 11/01/2012 at 12:43 PM