It’s officially Ugg season: Here’s our full guide on the best pairs to buy

While the Noughties might seem an unlikely decade to be wistful over – this was, after all, the era that gave us velour tracksuits, crimped hair and low-rise jeans – it was the moment our love affair with Ugg boots began.

The brand first launched in California during the 1970s when an Australian surfer translated his love for sheepskin into a unique boot. But the shearling shoes didn’t become all the rage until the dawn of the millennium, when A-listers such as Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Britney Spears and Sarah Jessica Parker jumped on board.

But, like most whirlwind love stories, this one was short-lived. In the mid 2000s, sales of Uggs were booming, but by 2011 they had reached saturation point and started to fall out of fashion.

That is, until 2020, when lockdown led us to reconsider our ban on the divisive shoe, as we sought out styles that would cushion our feet like a reassuring embrace. In fact, they proved so popular that global fashion shopping platform Lyst ranked Uggs in fifth place on its list of th “hottest women’s products of 2020”.

While the brand’s growing popularity is largely down to a change in shopping habits during the pandemic, we also have a new wave of celebrity fans to thank for its resurgence. From Rihanna to the Hadids, Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber and J Lo, almost every “it” girl you can imagine has been spotted wearing the throwback look. And they’re not just for women – even Stormzy made an accidental fashion statement when he turned up wearing a pair of Ugg tasman slippers for an interview on BBC Breakfast.

There has also been a string of surprising designer endorsements, with queen of tulle Molly Goddard collaborating with Ugg on a trio of bold, fluffy designs – a slipper, a boot and a platform shoe.

Today, Ugg’s classic boots remain a popular style, but the label has also branched out to deliver a range of newly coveted looks that are more fashionable than you might think, from sandals to trainers, hiking boots and even platform styles.To help you figure out which pair is right for you, we’ve tried and tested some of the best offerings from the brand’s men’s and women’s sections, taking into consideration everything from comfort and quality to style credentials.

The best Uggs for 2023 are: