By Harry Wu, 21st Century Business Herald, SFC

In 2024, China's business of American footwear brand Crocs achieved over 60% year-on-year growth, and in the third quarter of 2025, its growth exceeded 30%, said Anne Mehlman, Executive Vice President and Brand President for Crocs, in a recent interview with 21st Century Business Herald.

China is Crocs' second largest market globally. Mehlman anticipates that Crocs' business in China will continue to grow over the next five years and that the company will continue to increase investment in the Chinese market.

Chinese consumers have a very close connection with the Crocs brand, and that they have a "Dongmen" , which is a local fan base, she noted. "Our shoes and our product give the consumer the ability to personalize, and they can use our Jibbitz™ to personalize a shoe that is unique to them." 

In the Chinese market, "Dongmen" is a spontaneously formed community inspired by the perforations on Crocs. As of September 2025, the hashtag #Dongmen had been mentioned over 990 million times: over 513 million times on Douyin and over 477 million times on Xiaohongshu.

Why is Crocs able to attract Chinese consumers? Mehlman believes it's because of its focus on personalization and localization. Crocs' “Come As You Are” mantra resonates with consumers, and the individualistic young Chinese consumer base has a very close connection with Crocs.

Crocs also collaborates with many excellent Chinese brands, such as BEAST, POP MART, SMFK and fashion designer Feng Chen Wang. Mehlman stated, "We believe in collaborating with local partners to both give us inspiration as well as connect with their consumers and our consumers."

Mehlman has observed that Chinese consumers' consumption habits are changing rapidly, embracing digital technology, and online live streaming is booming—a trend that is spreading globally. Crocs can try launching the latest fashion styles in China to meet the needs of Chinese consumers.

Looking ahead, Mehlman hopes to offer Chinese consumers a wider reach, covering a broad consumer base and providing comfortable and stylish products for consumers with diverse needs.