BU Today : There’s a reported backlog of about 50,000 pairs of Bean Boots. Why are the boots so popular and what is it about the Bean brand, specifically, that attracts consumers? BU Today posed these questions to Barbara Bickart, a Questrom School of Business associate professor and chair of marketing. Spurred by their popularity, brands like Sperry and North Face have begun churning out their own knockoffs. This year alone, the company expects to make half a million pairs, more than three times the number made in 2005, according to a recent article in The Atlantic. Order a pair now and you may find they’re backordered until April. Best known for its boxy turtlenecks and flannel pajamas, the Freeport, Maine–based retailer has had a hard time keeping up with demand for the boots for the past two years. The boots can be credited with making the 104-year-old L.L. Bean’s “Bean Boot.” The hand-sewn tan leather and black-webbed rubber boot (commonly referred to as the “original duck boot”) has become one of this winter’s fashion essentials for two reasons: because the wearer can splash through slush and snow without fear of wet, cold feet and because, well, they’re sort of cool.
For a fashion must-have, it’s surprisingly kind of ugly.
