It’s officially spring, which means that if you live in certain major metropolitan areas (or a hamlet with a high concentration of fashion-conscious gardeners), you may start to notice an influx of a very specific type of warm-weather footwear: the relatively affordable, incidentally hip Plasticana Gardana clogs.
Not unlike crocuses or snowdrops springing forth from the soil, the French-made gardening shoes crop up in droves around this time of year, thanks in no small part to the menswear aficionados singing their praises on TikTok and in publications such as this one. But this season, the brown hemp-plastic clogs known on Twitter as the “IJBOL steppers” are getting a very subtle update by way of a collaboration with the Montreal-based label JJJJound.
JJJJound previewed their spin on the Plasticana clogs on Instagram this week—though aside from a small rectangular decal featuring the label’s serif-font logo on the back heel, the shoes appear to be nearly identical to the original style. And per the brand’s Instagram comment section, some fans seemed skeptical of the collaboration and how it would drive up costs of the clogs, which tend to go for around $60 at US retailers such as Salter House and Gardenheir. (In France, they’re even cheaper.)
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“Slapping a logo on a perfect affordable garden sandal is insane,” read one comment. “I look forward to seeing the price point.”
“So you put a logo on a perfect shoe?” read another. “Just another great day at the keyboard.”
JJJJound—a brand that grew from founder Justin R. Saunders’s Tumblr-esque blog of curated images—has made a business out of stamping their vibe-y seal of approval on a number of other beloved-yet-unassuming products, such as apparel from Levi’s and Eddie Bauer, or shoes from Adidas, Reebok, Vans, and even Crocs. (In 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy wore a pair of fatigue-colored sneakers from JJJJound’s collaboration with Asics.) Some might interpret this type of muted co-branding as strategic; as Levi’s exec Leo Gamboa described it to GQ in 2023, it’s a sign of “Justin [Saunders] putting his slight elevation of key design points on this shoe with iconic branding—it’s super easy, but super perfect—gets at how to make something perfect better.”
GQ reached out to JJJJound to confirm pricing for their version of the Plasticana Gardana clogs and will update this post when we hear back.
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