Why Garden Clogs Are Suddenly Everywhere and How They Became a Fashion Trend
Once reserved for gardening, these practical slip-ons are making their way into street style.
The shoe your grandmother wore to prune tomatoes is now the shoe you’ll spot on Bedford Avenue, in a JJJJound drop and on a Bode runway. Garden clogs, those rounded, cartoonishly utilitarian slip-ons, have crossed over from the toolshed into the style conversation playing out from downtown Manhattan to London.
It’s the kind of ironic-functional shape fashion circles can’t resist right now, and the ascent has been building for years.
How did garden clogs become a fashion trend?
Credit the Bode cosign. When Emily Adams Bode Aujla slotted Plasticana clogs into her Fall 2020 runway collection, the French gardening brand picked up exactly the kind of designer validation that pulls a utilitarian object into the fashion canon. From there, the shape kept gathering momentum with the right people in the right rooms.
By GQ’s May 2024 reporting, Plasticana’s Gardana clogs had become a quiet staple for shoppers in Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan, worn with streetwear and treated like any other weird-great sneaker. Brooklyn boutique Salter House had been importing Plasticana footwear since opening in 2018, selling to a clientele that ranged from local chefs to dog walkers and shoppers hunting for something off the beaten runway.
The trend has gone transatlantic too. British Vogue’s November 2025 coverage tracked the Gardana’s climb from fashion fringe to London obsession, with demand reportedly producing a months-long waiting list at one retailer.
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Why are people so drawn to garden clogs?
The shape is the whole point. British Vogue’s November 2025 reporting noted that Plasticana’s distinctive, deliberately unsleek silhouette is a big part of what makes the clogs desirable, because the brand leans into an unconventional look rather than smoothing it out.
The materials story helps. GQ’s May 2024 reporting noted that Plasticana’s Gardana clogs incorporate hemp fibers, which gives them a texture and finish that reads as something other than generic plastic.
Then there’s accessibility. The Standard’s May 2025 coverage flagged Plasticana’s relatively affordable pricing and the swelling roster of brands putting out their own gardening-clog interpretations. Add the fact that they slip on in seconds and still work for their original purpose, and you’ve got a shoe that earns its rotation.
Will garden clogs stay popular after the trend fades?
The streetwear stamp is probably the strongest signal. GQ’s March 2025 reporting documented JJJJound’s collaboration with Plasticana on a subtly branded take on the Gardana.
The broader context works in the clog’s favor too. The Standard’s May 2025 reporting linked the trend to fashion’s deepening appetite for workwear and functional footwear, including collaborations between fashion labels and outdoor brands.
Whether the Gardana holds its it-shoe moment or hands the baton to the next ironic utility pick is anyone’s guess. But there’s a reason this one keeps compounding attention. It works in a muddy flower bed, it works with a pair of baggy jeans and it looks exactly like itself in both places.
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