Assessment Task 1 – Innovation Case Study



Assessment Task 1 – Innovation Case Study

Ug/Ugg/Ugh Boots - By Carla Penn

Not only in Australia, but worldwide are the popular sheepskin boots, known as “Ugg”, “Ug” or “Ugh” Boots, an Australian icon. Proof of this popularity is the growing number of people wearing these “Aussie icons” throughout the media. The original product was made from 100% merino sheepskin. This paper documents the history of the “Ug” boot.

Based on the research undertaken, there are a number of theories as to when, why and where these sheepskin boots originated. The most common theory being that the boots were developed during the 1960’s “surfies” craze. However a number of alternative theories also exist.

1. It is hard to pin-point when the sheepskin boots were first developed. Some people say they were first developed during World War 1 and many Australian pilots were depicted wearing the warm fleece also called the “flying ugg boot”. Others say that they date back to 1933 when Blue Mountain Uggs were selling their boots to Australian shearers. Whilst others say that the “surfers” of the 1960’s were the first to develop these sheepskin boots and every “surfer” had to have a pair of them. These boots were perfect for Australian “surfers” as in winter the natural insulation of the fleece provided those with warmth and in summer the breathable fabric allowed for a cool and comfortable wear. One of the most talked about people in relation to the development of the sheepskin boot is an Australian surfer Brian Smith. Brian Smith took this piece of “down under” to America in 1978. These boots were not manufactured by Brian but were made by sheepskin boot-makers in Australia. Brian Smith first sold these boots in New York City and then took them to California to sell and market them to the Californian “surfers”. Brian Smith continued over the years to sell the Ug boots throughout America under the name of Ugg Holdings Incorporated, until the 1990’s when his business was bought by Deckers Outdoor Corporation. Brian Smith is still involved in the business today.

2. Through research it has become evident that the 1960’s and 1970’s had the greatest impact on the development of sheepskin boots. Therefore this paper will concentrate on this era in relation to the social, global, political, economic, environmental, technological, legal and marketing aspects of the Ug boot.

3. The following factors in the 1960’s and 1970’s led to the development of the sheepskin boots:-

a. Social: The social factors that led to the development of this innovation were during this period of time, Australian society was changing with an emphasis on leisure activities and social interaction. Previously the culture was more conservative and during this time society became more “laid back” and casual. This new social climate made these sheepskin boots very much an accepted innovation leading to their further development specifically at this time. These boots represented this social change as they were “laid back” and casual, unlike the previous era’s trends based on conservatism.

b. Global: During this era travel became accessible to more people. The world seemed smaller and traveling became less of a mission and more of a holiday. This new concept of the world being smaller allowed for these boots to enter the American market further developing this innovation. As Brian Smith has introduced them, it is because of this new global perspective he was able to fly to and from America and Australia selling his piece of “down under”. Another Global development was that many American “surfers” who had Australian friends or had been to Australia on a holiday had already brought back these boots to America and had began introducing them within their social circle.

c. Political: The social movements of this era had a massive impact on politics. Social groups like the “hippies” were not supporters of the conservative political movements but the “new thinkers” such as Gough Whitlam. Social groups like the “hippies” all voted for these “new thinkers” allowing them to gain political power. Gough Whitlam introduced a “new way of thinking” one that was more casual, laid back, environmentally concerned and aware of equality for all. This new introduction in the political scene made the sheepskin boot more widely accepted, as it was a new phase and represented the shift in political power as well. This political change enabled the development of the innovation during this era.

d. Economic: During this era there was very little unemployment in Australia due to an abundance of available jobs. In this time it was easier for people to be employed as most businesses were thriving and wanting to gain market share. This economic stage allowed for money to be spent on appearances and trends such as the sheepskin boot. This era was also one with very strong and memorable trends such as bell bottom pants and tie died apparel. Another memorable trend was also the sheepskin boot. Due to this increase in trend awareness sheepskin boots were popular. This economic period allowed the sheepskin boots development to thrive.

e. Environmental: During this era there was an increasing awareness and concern for the environment and environmental issues. The Ug boot represented a product that used what may have previously been wasted. Therefore once a sheep was slaughtered for its meat its skin was not wasted but turned into the sheepskin boot.

f. Technological issues: In this era sewing machines and over lockers improved a great deal. These improvements allowed for quicker sewing speeds and more electronic stitch choices. Therefore more boots were able to be manufactured than before in the same given time period. Over lockers also improved a great deal by being able to make tighter stitches. This was very important as the seams of the sheepskin boots were over locked. With this improved tightness the boot was able to be of higher quality and last longer. This improvement in the technological side of the equipment used in the manufacture of sheepskin boots in this time period lead to the further development of the innovation.

g. Legal: The legal impact had a huge affect on the development of sheepskin boots. Due to Australian designers not protecting their intellectual property the name “Ugg boots” was lost. This was due to the Australian surfer, Brian Smith who took it upon himself the name “Ugg boots” and protected the name from being used by other companies. When his company Ugg Holdings was bought by the American company Deckers Outdoor Corporation, Australians had lost the official name of their “Aussie icons”. This had a massive impact of the development of sheepskin boots as Australian boots makers were no longer able to legally use the traditional name. This has caused controversy and much publicity. There are many websites that have been established under headings such as “Save Our Aussie Icons”.

h. Marketing: In this time period television was becoming increasingly popular and evident in most households. With the introduction of the television, marketing strategists were able to introduce new forms of marketing and advertising via television. With this new marketing tool, distinct from radio advertising, companies were able to show the customer pictures of the items they were able to purchase, and use images to entice their customers. With this development sheepskin boots were able to be cleverly marketed increasing the development of the innovation during that era.

4. The following factors in the 1960’s and 1970’s aided the acceptance of sheepskin boots as a part of Australian culture:

a. Social: Sheepskin boots in this era represented the social changes that were developing. These social changes were that people no longer needed to be conservative and well dressed to be listened to, and have an opinion. It was now socially acceptable for people to be wearing less conservative apparel, and still have an opinion. These social changes were representative of the acceptance of sheepskin boots and the new “laid back” approach and open social acceptance. Another social need was the desire to be different. The given era was one of rebellion and change, where one wanted to be different. The sheepskin boots were a different alternative to foot wear. This need to be socially different in Australian culture made sheepskin boots an important symbol. In addition “surfers” needed the boots for practical reasons, to keep their feet warm after coming out the surf. This comfortable and warm boot met that need.

b. Global: Sheepskin boots were needed to strengthen the Australian economy. With the development of the sheepskin boot, it was another export from Australia. This has a global need as the strength of the Australian economy effect the world globally.

c. Political: One of Australia’s major exports is sheep and sheepskins. Without such exports Australia would be unable to politically bargain with other countries and trade fairly. Therefore the sheep exports are needed for political bargaining. It is also seen to be politically correct to use Australia’s natural resources such as sheep. Using these natural resources gives Australian politics a good name and shows awareness for the “Green movements”. It is also politically correct for Australians to be given an export icon. Thus being the sheep, through the sheep being an icon it is politically ideal that they are used and not wasted. For example when the sheep are slaughtered for meat exports their skins are made into different sheepskin products, like the sheepskin boot.

d. Economic: The Australian economy depends on the use of Australia’s natural resources being exploited and exported. They rely on the production of items such as the sheepskin boot to ensure that the Australian economy stays strong. It would be bad for the economy if the sheep were slaughtered and the skins were wasted. Therefore with this innovation of the sheepskin boot they are able to be used and exported strengthening the economy even more, assisting the economy with the production and exportation of these sheepskin boots.

e. Environmental: Sheepskin boots were and are being manufactured from the skins of the sheep which have been killed for food purposes. Therefore this design was needed from an environmental perspective as it stopped wastage. With this wastage of skins the environment would have been damaged as the sheepskin remains would be added to the growing wastage dumps across Australia.

f. Technological: The technological process of making the sheepskin boot has changed over time. When first manufactured the boot was made of a one colour/tone leather with no sole attached. Over time a sole made out of rubbers and synthetics have been used in order to make the boot last longer. Also another technological change has been the new found innovation of dying the leathers making them a multi toned and coloured. The tanning process of the leather has also improved with technology. The tanning process now takes 40 hours of soaking where previously it took up to five days.

g. Legal: There is a need to protect intellectual property so that designs can not be stolen. This is shown with the sheepskin boot in particular as the early designers did not protect their intellectual property, being the ugg boot. Due to not protecting their innovation these same designers are now unable to use the name ugg boot when referring to the sheepskin boot, as discussed previously someone else registered the name ugg boot for his company’s use only. Thus making the ugg innovation no longer an Australian innovation. This shows the need to protect all intellectual property.

h. Marketing: Sheepskin boots were an “Aussie icon”. Marketing needed the Sheepskin boots to increase Australian exports. Without the sheepskin boots being cleverly marketed in America, Americans would have not been exposed to the fashion trends within Australia.

5. The history of sheepskin boots has been cyclical. These cycles mirror the “what’s in fashion” versus “what’s out of fashion” phases of the boots. For example in the 1960’s and 1970’s these boots developed into a trend, whilst in the 1980’s and early 1990’s only lower class people were seen wearing the sheepskin boots in public places. During this time the boots were worn as slippers within the household and never worn out the house. This time period represented the “out” phase. Whilst in the later 1990’s and early 2000’s the sheepskin boots have become increasingly popular. The trend is to wear the boots over a pair of jeans or pants, possibly even a skirt as a part of your fashion accessories. Such current trends have been depicted throughout the media, as now actors, actresses, models and other famous people have been shown wearing these sheepskin boots also as a fashion accessory. As the sheepskin boots have been represented in cyclical patterns, it is easy to also predict future trends. A projection based on future trends beyond the current cycle will be due to advancing technology. These sheepskin boots will no longer be plain colours and styles but be multi-toned and coloured, with accessories attached to them. Possibly a style will be formed where they will be lace-up. With increasing technology it may appear evident that the sheep are genetically engineered to be perfect for the tanning process. This is an ambiguous yet possible prediction.

6. Bibliography:

a. Morrissey, David. (1988). Sheep and Wool – Australian Primary Industries. Sydney: The Macmillan Company. (This book gave me information on how to make sheepskin boots and on some parts of the selling industry)

b. URL 15 October 2004 (This site gives the history of the boots)

c. URL 17 October 2004 (This site talks about the history of the boots)

d. URL 15 October 2004 (This site talks about the history of the boot and how comfortable they are)

e. URL 25 October 2004 (This site has all the tanning techniques involved in boot making)

f. URL shell.cfm?template=AboutSheepskin 23 October 2004 (This site is where pictures came from and talks about the process of tanning)

g. URL 18 October 2004 (This site is about history and the comfort)

h. URL 19 October 2004 (This page talks about the history)

i. URL 16 October 2004 (This site has a very brief history of the boots)

7. Description and illustrations of the key technological aspects of the sheepskin boot:

a. Raw skins: The raw sheepskin hides are first purchased by the tannery from a raw skin dealer or meat packing house. These skins come in with the wool still intact. The skins are graded, salted, packed by the raw skin dealer and then shipped into the tannery.

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b. Curing: There are two types of curing: wet-salting and brine-curing. Wet-salting is done by salting the leather side of the sheepskin. They are salted and moistened and then left to cure for one month, so that the salt can completely be absorbed into the skin. Brine-curing is more common than wet-salting, as it's a faster, easier method. During brine curing, the sheepskins are positioned in vats and covered with a mixture of salt and disinfectant. They are then left for 10-16 hours.

c. Washing: The sheepskins are unpacked at the tannery and then trimmed and graded to ensure correct sizing and quality. The initial skin grading determines what kind of production the skins will be suitable for. The smaller sizes skins will be used for the sheepskin boot. Next they are washed several times to clean and prepare the hides for tanning.

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d. Tanning: The sheepskins are next chrome-tanned, a process that ensures good durability of both the wool fiber and leather backing. This process preserves the skins and allows the finished products to be washed with minimal shrinkage.

e. Degreasing: The next step is to degrease the skins by washing and dry-cleaning them to remove the fat liquid content from the skins. This removes unwanted odors from the finished product and insures that the skins will remain soft and silky.

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f. Dye: The skins are then dyed to our colour specifications and then dried to ensure perfection. Hot water dyes are famous for being permanent, stable dyes that won't rub off or wash out of the finished product. They are preferably used by all factories.

g. Finishing: Lastly the skins side is buffed smooth and the wool side is trimmed, brushed and ironed to a silky finish. The skins are then ready to be cut and sewed into sheepskin boots.

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h. Making: The skins are then either sold to a sheepskin boot maker or made at the tanning factory. Depending on the style of boot they are usually cut into three templates. These are joined by sewing and a finishing taut over lock. Some sheepskin boots have soles. These soles are either sewn on or glued on depending on the material used. The last development is a foam/rubber sole that protects the skins making them last longer.

i. Sales: These skins are then shipped off to retailers or warehoused until orders come in for them. They are all packed in order to prevent any form of damage to occur.

8. The underlying technological process of the sheepskin boot is the process of tanning the leather. A tanning skins solution is BASF Relugan. This is a tanning solution that provides tanning that stands up well to washing. This solution turns the wool and leather slightly yellow. It prevents the leather from decay and spoilage. After the tanning solution is put on it must be degreased which is talked about above. If the leather is not tanned it will not be preserved and would deteriorate when washed. Therefore this process is the key technological process underlying the innovation of the sheepskin boot. There two types of tanning are: vegetable and mineral. Vegetable tanning consists of stringing leather on large frames, located inside large vats, and exposing them to tannin, a natural product found in the bark, wood, leaves and fruits of chestnut, oak and hemlock trees. Leathers are then transferred to many different bins during this step, each containing a stronger solution of tannin. The other leathers which are tanned with minerals are pickled first in an acid and salt mixture. From there, the leathers are soaked into a chromium-sulfate solution. This process is much faster than vegetable tanning, and is usually a 1-day project.

9. All innovations have technological and design problems that have to be overcome in order for the innovation to become fully developed. Sheepskin boots are no exception. A technological problem before the 1960’s was that over lockers had not yet had the correct pressures to ensure secure and quality over-locked seams. This was overcome by improved over-lockers having correct pressures. A design problem was the two seam sheepskin boot. These boots were looked upon as being an “ugly” design as the seam ran directly through the front of the boot. This was solved by making the boots have a more attractive three seam boot that no longer had a large seam running through the boot’s front region.

10. Prior to the introduction of Sheepskin footwear Australians lived and worked differently. These changes were not entirely based on the introduction of the innovation, but because the 1960’s and 1970’s era was a period of major change. These major changes to the way Australians lived and worked were based on a new concern for environmental issues and a change from conservatism to a more relaxed and “laid-back” society. The sheepskin boots were a part of these changes, as the boots became increasingly acceptable to wear out of the house and on the streets as a part of a fashionable outfit. It was now acceptable to wear what was once considered slippers out in public as a fashion item. This was an every day pair of footwear for, in particular, many of the “hippie” activists and “surfies”. These groups of people were the “baby boomers”. These “baby boomers” were the very people who made changes to the way Australians lived and worked by the introduction of an innovation they very much favoured being the sheepskin boot.

11. Evaluation of the impact the cultural factors have had on the way Australians live and work:

a. Social: the social factors linked with the development of the sheepskin boot have impacted on Australians lives. The sheepskin boot was a representation of how Australians lives had changed. This representation of change had a large influence upon Australians lives as it influenced others to accept the changes. The sheepskin boot also was something different to what Australians usually wore. This showed individuality amongst people in social environments having an impact on the way Australians interacted socially.

b. Global: the global factors connected to the development of the sheepskin boot impacted on the way Australians lived and worked. This was because the sheepskin boot helped improve Australia’s global import and export market through the introduction of this item to the market. This impacted on the way Australians lived and worked as it provided more people with employment in this area and allowed many Australians to have a better income and quality of life.

c. Political: Australia uses their imports and exports to bargain with other governments in order to lower tariffs and other import/export charges. With the introduction of the sheepskin boot, this added another “string to the bow” when it came to such bargaining. This bargaining improves the way Australians live and work as these tariffs impact highly on their income and ability to spend. Income changes for Australians based on political issues changes the way Australians live and work.

d. Economic: the improvement of the Australian economy due to the innovation of the sheepskin boot improves the lives and workforce for Australians in many ways. It increases the number of jobs available in this industry. Thus, improving and impacting greatly on the way Australians live and work due to the increasing disposable income.

e. Environmental: with the introduction of the sheepskin boot, there was less wastage in the sheepskin industry improving the environmental side of the industry. This impacted on the way Australians lived and worked as it showed the growing environmental awareness. This innovation was developed by a lot of sheep businesses to reduce the wastage. With this development the environmental considerations taken, opened up new jobs for more Australians improving the way they lived and worked.

f. Technological: the technological processes involved in the manufacturing of sheepskin impacts on Australians lives, as employees are required to perform the technological procedures in the factories. These employees will be Australians and this will impact them as it will give them income.

g. Legal: the legal complications that have occurred over the past years with the sheepskin boot have affected the way Australians live and work. As Brian Smith registered the term “ugg boot” as his own intellectual property Australians are unable to call there original sheepskin boots “ugg boots” like they always have. The name “ugg boot” is apart of the Australian vocabulary when describing the sheepskin boot. Due to these rights being owned by an American company, Australians are no longer able to neither use the term nor call the boot what they always have. This has impacted on Australians.

h. Marketing: the marketing of the sheepskin boot impacted on Australians as it introduced them to a new innovation and a new way of life. This innovation changed the fashion and entered a new product to the market. This product impacted the fashion of the 1960’s and 1970’s by changing the conservative apparel and lifestyle to one that is more “laid-back” and casual.

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