There was a time when wearing ugly T-shirts like the ones on this list was a fashion faux pas. However, these days ugly fashion is a thing and it’s only growing in popularity. Celebrities love using their platforms to promote their odd choices that, over time, become fashion staples.

Take, for example, a total must-have in every fashionista’s wardrobe that years ago would have led to mockery—Birkenstocks. For years, they were touted as the hippie or the tourist shoe, or maybe something your grandma wore while gardening. It was the orthopedic shoe that kids that had feet problem wore, something you might have donned in secret, not as a fashionable summer sandal. Yet, here we are.

Birkenstock as a company has been around for decades (centuries, actually), and through it all, they always showed an undying commitment to their values. Those are quality, functionality, and comfort, the last one being the reason why they were so loved by those who couldn’t care less about style.

Fortunately for all of us, in recent years, comfort also became stylish. Quality, functionality, and using natural materials also followed and, suddenly, Birkenstock-style shoes were on the runway. Celine put them on there in 2013, and we never looked back.

Another ugly shoe that went through a worldwide hating phase and now is loved by pretty much everybody is Crocs. According to Time magazine, this shoe that was originally created for boating is one of the worst inventions ever, alongside asbestos and leaded gasoline. At least it was back in 2010, when hating it was fashionable. Now, it’s a whole other story.

Similar to Birkenstocks, Crocs owe their popularity to the fact that people suddenly prioritized comfort over style. Sweatpants, yoga pants, and hoodies became an appropriate thing to wear when you’re out and about, so it’s no surprise that comfortable footwear followed.

So, just a few years after models strutted down the runway wearing the now-beloved German orthopedic shoe, in 2016, Christopher Kane introduced Crocs to high fashion. Then, in 2017, Balenciaga shocked everyone at Paris Fashion Week by presenting their platform Crocs that really divided the crowd but also sold out instantaneously.

Then, the pandemic came. With everyone spending all their time at home, it wasn’t a surprise that many opted to get a few more pairs of comfy shoes. Crocs were a go-to choice for a lot of people. And just like that, Crocs sales skyrocketed. 

Maybe the surge would have been temporary, just like it was for many other brands, if not for celebrities. See, they also bought Crocs during the pandemic and then started posing for pictures wearing their, often bedazzled, foam footwear. Suddenly, they were super trendy, which is obvious when you look at their sales that are still through the roof—double of what they were in 2019.

So, if there’s anything you can learn from these two examples, it's that whatever is considered ugly now might be the next sought-after item. So, hold onto those harem pants, trucker hats, and, of course, ugly T-shirts as they might be hot next year.