Brands Briefing: Ugg’s latest creators aren’t conventional fashion influencers. They’re art students
This is the latest installment of the Brands Briefing, a weekly Modern Retail+ column about the growth strategies of modern brands. More from the series →
Class is in session at Ugg. The brand is creating a new college ambassador program as it works to establish itself as a go-to style destination.
For its latest back-to-school campaign, Ugg tapped nine students from art and design schools across the U.S. to share how they style Ugg products like the new Ultra Mini Bailey Bow. In the coming months, these students will post on social media on behalf of the brand and appear on product pages on Ugg’s website. They will also play up Ugg’s role in categories such as apparel to grow broader awareness of Ugg’s portfolio among young people.
On a global level, Ugg already works with a variety of creators, from celebrities to micro-influencers. But this new creator program marks Ugg’s first time working with North American college students outside of a one-off marketing campaign. Ugg is betting on the program to gain ground with Gen Z and build a stronger presence in colleges and universities in key growth cities as it prepares to celebrate its 50th birthday in 2028.
“This is a really good way for Ugg to connect with people that are outside of our ecosystem currently and [allow them to] see Ugg through a new, fresh lens,” Lindsey Di Cola, Ugg’s vp of marketing for North America, told Modern Retail. “We’re interested in people who own their style, have an interesting point of view and also have that connection [with] … young consumers that we’d like to get in front of.”
The creator program, which will continue to grow in size and scope, is also part of Ugg’s first big back-to-school push in years. “One of the things we’re trying to achieve is pulling our season up earlier,” Di Cola said. “A lot of consumers think of Ugg more in the deep fall or winter season, and the truth is, we have an amazing offering 12 months out of the year. Back-to-school presents a significant shopping opportunity in our cultural calendar.”
The focus of Ugg’s larger back-to-school campaign, as Di Cola described it, is “self-expression.” For this reason, the campaign’s creative also features the American indie pop band Muna. But Ugg wanted to work with college art and design students, specifically, to showcase young people with “amazing personal style” who can speak to “the stories that we’re trying to tell,” Di Cola said.
“We really view our brand and our products as blank canvases, and [we] love to see how creatives reinterpret or reimagine them,” Di Cola said. “It’s helpful for consumers to see themselves in the content. We have very aspirational marketing campaigns, and that serves a purpose. [But] working with these students and featuring them on our website … helps make the consumer feel more comfortable. Like, ‘I could wear that. I understand how that fits into my life.'”
Ugg is working with students from five different schools: the Savannah College of Art and Design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the California Institute of the Arts, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. The brand found the creators by scouring Instagram and looking for talent in key markets like Chicago and New York City.
Ugg’s nine student partners are Destiny Elliott (SCAD), Mary Grace Gordon (SCAD), Carmen Isabella (SAIC), Danielle Jane (SAIC), Lavontae Alexander (SAIC), Haley Hurley (CalArts), Alba Rodriguez (FIDM), Alexis Cordero (FIDM) and Eros Alonso (FIT). Many have already posted on social media on behalf of the brand, using the hashtag #UGGPartner. Their content varies from styling slideshows to get-ready-for-class-with-me videos.
The partnerships, Di Cola stressed, are not “a one-time thing.” The students will create back-to-school content for Ugg through October and will also be involved in holiday marketing. They are not treated as affiliates; rather, they earn a flat fee and are gifted product. Ugg plans to add more creators in the future and tap them for content year-round. “We’d love to grow this to be something ‘always on,'” Di Cola said.
Many other consumer brands today, including Portland Leather Goods and American Eagle, have creator programs. Retailers, including Kohl’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods, are also establishing their own programs as they work to gain market share and court young shoppers. But influencer marketing is getting increasingly competitive and expensive, making it harder for brands to stand out. U.S. influencer marketing spend surpassed $10 billion in 2025, according to eMarketer.
Today, it’s important for brands to find an influencer program that works for them, said Lily Comba, the founder and CEO of creator-led marketing agency Superbloom. “The issue is if you think it’s one size fits all,” she said. Some brands have embraced the now-popular affiliate model, but by paying college students a flat fee, Ugg is actually going back to “the original influencer program” playbook, Comba said.
Working with campus ambassadors “is what kicked off this industry in the first place,” Comba told Modern Retail. “But so many brands have just forgotten where influence got its origin. It started at the micro-ambassador level and at the customer level. So, I love this new wave of partnerships. It’s like, everything old is new again. … It’s this reinvigoration of the original strategies that put the creator economy on the map.”
Ugg leadership will elaborate on its new marketing efforts when its parent company, Deckers, reports its next round of earnings later this fall. For the first fiscal quarter of 2027, Ugg brand net sales increased 4.9% to $278 million.
On a July earnings call, Deckers CEO Stefano Caroti said that Ugg’s “integrated approach to product storytelling, community-driven experiences and digital engagement helped maintain strong consumer interest.” Deckers expects “continued market share gains for the company,” he added.
What we’re reading
- Pacsun is bringing its private men’s brand, Field of Study, into hundreds of stores. (WWD)
- American luxury brands like Ralph Lauren have a secret weapon: $12 tennis socks. (The Wall Street Journal)
- Charlotte Tilbury’s profits are booming, thanks to the “lipstick effect.” (The Times)
What we’ve covered
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- H&M, Chobani, UrbanStems and Teleties are refining their partnership playbooks.
- Stanley 1913 is adapting its marketing for the AI search era.