UGGs and UGGs

Last month, on my short trip in Sydney, I noticed a rather interesting little thing that I've never noticed before. Did you know that there are TWO different brands named UGGs over there BOTH selling very similar looking sheepskin boots???? I never paid it much attention before, because I'd never really wanted to buy UGGs before. But apparently the UGG trend has finally filtered into Hong Kong, and my young 13 year old cousin's dearest wish on this trip was to buy UGG boots (since they don't sell it in HK). So we went on a hunt for UGG boots. At first I thought it would be a relatively easy task as I remembered vaguely seeing UGGs everywhere from souvenir shops to even the airport last time I was there! But upon stepping into our first souvenir shop to look at UGGs, we noticed that something was not right........
First of all, while the name "UGG" and the made in Aussie fact is correct, the logo and font is just not the quite right. Definitely not what we're used to seeing. And upon closer examination, while the styles all look the same, the quality of these UGGs were definitely not as good as the ones I've seen in the States. The fur was not as smooth and soft, the soles were shallow and not as intricate and the workmanship was simply not really up to par.
It reeked of fakeness. But then, we rationed that the Aussie government wouldn't allow them to sell fakes all over the place and quite so prominently right? And I mean, they even have this very authentic looking poster plastered all over the place!
With a little research, we finally found 'authentic' UGGs (as we are used to) in this touristy shop on the top floor of the Queen Victoria Building. The lady explained that there are two different UGG brands in Australia and the ones Americans are used to (above) are the better quality ones. They are also double the price of the cheaper brand. While the cheaper UGGs are about $150AUD each, the 'authentic' UGGs are about $300 AUD! And if you think that UGGs in Australia are cheaper than in the US (as I'd thought) then you are wrong. Turns out that while UGGs in US are about $200USD on average, a pair of tall UGGs in Aussie cost $295AUD= $268USD. How crazy is that? The lady made the point that the 'authentic' UGGs she is selling are actually made in Aussie, as opposed to the identical looking ones we find in the States, which are made in China. I guess that is where the difference is.

So if you happen to be looking for UGGs in Australia, and you want the higher quality ones, pay attention and try to look up the address of their dealers online first, before buying the first pair you see on the streets!

Image Source: UGG Australia