Ugg on Thursday launched a back-to-school campaign that celebrates art and the way that it can inspire confidence and individuality, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The effort will be supported by paid media across Meta, TikTok, Snap and Pinterest.
The campaign focuses on alternative-pop band Muna and a cast of young creators, artists and students and turns school spaces into creative studios. The effort also includes a creator program featuring artists from art and design schools across the U.S. and Canada.
“Back-to-school is more than a shopping season — it’s a cultural moment. It’s a time when students discover who they are and express themselves through fashion, music, art, and creativity,” Tracy Paoletti, general manager and vice president of Ugg North America, said in a statement.
Along with continuing its partnership with Queer|Art, a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ artists, Ugg donated to Chicxs Rockerxs South East Los Angeles, a nonprofit that focuses on music, mentorship and social justice, as part of the back-to-school push.
The footwear and apparel brand is going back to school by focusing on the role of artistic communities and the confidence that comes from embracing individuality. The themes are ones that other marketers, especially of fashion and retail brands, have relied on to engage with Gen Z shoppers. The effort looks to promote footwear and apparel for students between elementary school and college, per details shared by the brand.
Central to the campaign is Muna, a band fresh off releasing a new album, “Dancing on the Wall,” in May. The trio is featured alongside young students in content captured at Santa Monica High School in Los Angeles, California, with creative direction by Tastebuds Creative. Muna’s three members identify as queer and have made self-expression a theme of their art and aesthetic.
To bring the campaign to campus, Ugg is partnering with emerging creators, including students from institutions such as the Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as part of a college ambassador program. Throughout the back-to-school season, creators will showcase Ugg fashions via content that is inspired by disciplines including animation and printmaking, among others.
Ugg has a year-round partnership with Queer|Art, helping to empower LGBTQ+ creatives through grants, experiences and community programming. The brand donated to CRSELA to build on that ongoing commitment and to support underrepresented communities. While such purpose-driven marketing has taken a backseat for some major brands, those working to engage Gen Z consumers have often stayed committed to the causes they have championed.
Beginning Aug. 1, consumers who spend $150 or more at participating Ugg stores will receive a custom coloring book and crayon pack, while supplies last, as a way to encourage creativity beyond retail purchases. The brand will also offer students 10% off footwear and apparel through Unidays and teachers and educators 10% off through SheerID.
Ugg brand net sales increased 8.2% to $2.74 billion for the full fiscal year 2026, per an earnings report by parent company Decker Brands. The company will share its Q1 2027 earnings after the market closes on Thursday.
