UGG Australia (or simply UGG) is an American footwear company and is a division of the Deckers Outdoor Corporation
UGG is a registered trademark in the United States and over 130 other countries for their brand of sheepskin boots and other footwear, as well as bags, clothing, outerwear and other goods.
By the mid-1970s, several surf shops in Santa Cruz, California and the San Fernando Valley were selling Ugg boots purchased by the shops owners while visiting surfing events in Australia. Seeing the success of the boots in the U.S., in 1978, Australian surfer Brian Smith, then living in Santa Monica, California, and Doug Jensen applied to be the United States distributors for the Western Australian Ugg boot manufacturer, Country Leather. Family friends invested $20,000 into the new venture and the group set up Ugg Imports. In their first season in business, Ugg Imports sold 28 pairs of boots. Due to other business commitments, in 1979 Jensen handed over his share of the company to Smith. Sales steadily grew and Smith set up Ugg Holdings Inc. and in 1985 registered a US trademark on a rams head logo with the words "Original UGG Boot UGG Australia".[7] In 1995, Deckers Outdoor acquired the business and continued to expand it. UGG boots are now very popular worldwide,[8] with over US$1 billion in sales in 2012.[1] UGG footwear is manufactured in China,[9] from Australian sheepskin.
In 1971, Shane Steadman registered the trademark UGH-BOOT on the Australian Trade Mark Registry, and obtained an Australian registration for UGH in 1982. These registrations remained valid in Australia until removed for non-use in 2006. Steadman sold his UGH brand boots widely in Australia throughout the 1970s and 1980s.[citation needed] This registration was subsequently sold to Ugg Holdings Inc. in early 1995. In August 1995, Deckers Outdoor Corporation purchased Ugg Holdings, and in 1999 registered Ugg Holdings trademarks,