Five days after the debut of the Crocs Ripple at Art Basel, it’s clear that the new model designed by Steven Smith for the iconic rubber clog brand was not just a hype moment. It feels like we’re looking at a turning point for Crocs. During the fair itself – a key moment for the art world, especially in its most pop-facing forms – Crocs chose to show up with an unexpected move: entrusting its most radical silhouette to the designer who helped define the aesthetic of contemporary sneakers.

Smith, former creative mind behind Yeezy and now Head of Creative Innovation at Crocs, has transformed the classic clog into a sculptural object. The Ripple is a slip-on built from undulating lines, with dual foam and a TPU insert that echo the futuristic language that made the designer famous. It’s a shape that doesn’t necessarily try to please everyone, but in a context like Art Basel it has been perceived as a piece halfway between design and art.

The move worked because it overturns the Crocs narrative as we know it, that of an ironic or purely functional brand. The Ripple instead claims a bolder, almost speculative aesthetic, placed in the ideal context to maximize its impact. Five days after the launch, reactions are split between enthusiasm and skepticism, but it’s precisely this polarization that signals what’s to come in the future of Crocs.

Looking back at Miami with a bit of distance, the Ripple appears as the first concrete step towards a new identity: Crocs no longer wants to be just a comfort-first phenomenon, but a brand capable of engaging with the aesthetic avant-garde. Especially with Steven Smith on board.