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Date : March 29, 2024
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Woman spends over 20 years amassing huge 450-pair collection of Crocs

Woman spends over 20 years amassing huge 450-pair collection of Crocs
Woman spends over 20 years amassing huge 450-pair collection of Crocs
Woman spends over 20 years amassing huge 450-pair collection of Crocs

Rochelle Burke with part of her massive Croc collection
She wears a different style or colour every day (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)

Meet Rochelle Burke, the woman who’s got a pair of Crocs for every day of the year – and then some.

Rochelle, 38, first started buying the now-trendy shoes because of a medical condition which left her with swollen joints, and Crocs were the only shoes that gave her ‘proper support’.

She got her first pair of the then-$14 (£11.53) shoes in the early 2000s, and now ‘can’t stop buying them’.

Now, she wears them every day to her job working in a medical office, with different colours and styles for every occasion.

Sometimes she incorporates colourful socks into her footwear looks, and often matches her Crocs with a holiday that’s happening that month.

When it’s time to dress a little fancier, Rochelle opts for a Croc mammoth, Croc crush boot or her Balenciaga Croc boots.

Rochelle Burke and her collection of Crocs
Impressive (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)
Rochelle Burke with a giant Croc
‘My whole family have Crocs’ (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)

In the winter, she’ll choose a pair of fuzz-lined clogs, mammoths or the neo puff boots to keep her feet warm.

Rochelle, from Waterbury, Connecticut, US said: ‘The coolest thing about Crocs is that they are for everyone.

‘Young, old – everyone can find a pair that fits them. My whole family have Crocs.

‘I started wearing them because they were the only possible shoes I could wear at the time due to my swelling.

‘I tried on a pair of Crocs and fell in love with the comfort and how easy there were to maintain and keep clean.

‘When I got to 365 pairs, I had a pair to wear for every single day of the year.

‘I love wearing my Crocs, you can never have too many. I usually wear Crocs daily.

‘When I’m wearing my Crocs, I feel happy – it’s a reflection of my personality which is humble, vibrant and full of life.’

Indeed, Rochelle isn’t the only big Croc fan in her family. Both of her parents, 53-year-old Lori Burke, a childcare provider, and 65-year-old Trevor Burke Sr, retired, are also collectors – with her mum having an estimated 300 pairs.

Rochelle Burke's collection skeleton crocs
She’s spent 20 years growing the collection (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)

Rochelle plans the Crocs she’s going to wear for the week and the rest of the month ahead, usually wearing a pair every day.

When she’s done with one, rather than sell the pair, she gives them to a friend or fellow Croc enthusiast.

She even has a tradition with her children which sees them all wear Crocs during festive holidays.

‘The cool thing about wearing Crocs is the fact they are so versatile,’ Rochelle said.

‘There’s classic clogs, lite ride sneakers, mello slides, neo puff and crush boots, Crocs mammoths, the list is endless.

‘When I think of scaling down, I choose to “share a pair” which is when I give a pair to someone else.

‘And of course, sharing is caring. I love to see other people as happy to wear them as I am.’

Rochelle says buying Crocs has become harder in recent times.

‘They’ve become more popular and in demand so it’s becoming a bit harder to collect as many,’ she said.

‘Finding all of the pairs from international sites that aren’t available in the US is like a job in itself. I’ve had to buy from Australia, Japan and the UK.

‘I’m really grateful to have so many Croc friends who keep me in the loop for upcoming drops which is so hopeful. I really appreciate them.

‘They’ve evolved into a “must have” for a lot of people, so it’s more of a challenge to get them now than five years ago for example.

‘Friends who initially said they didn’t like them now have 10 pairs. They’ve become for everyone.’

Rochelle Burke and her collection of Crocs
‘I love wearing my Crocs, you can never have too many’ (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)
Rochelle Burke's collection of Crocs
‘They’ve evolved into a “must have” for a lot of people’ (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)

Crocs have got a fair bit more expensive too as a result.

‘Back in the day, you could get them for $14 (£11.53)’, Rochelle said.

‘They can vary in price – collaboration pairs can be more.

‘The highest I’ve seen is $588 (£484.28) which is my most expensive pair – the Balenciaga Croc Boots.

‘It’s cool to see more high-fashion Crocs collaborations.’

Rochelle Burke's collection of Crocs
‘It’s cool to see more high-fashion Crocs collaborations’ (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)
Rochelle Burke's collection of Crocs
She has no plans to stop collecting (Picture: Courtesy Rochelle Burke / SWNS)

Over the years, Rochelle has lost track of how much money she’s spent on her collection.

Her stash is so big, she has to use ‘lots’ of shelves and hooks on the wall to store them.

Rochelle said: ‘My favourite pair is the KFC pair – when I received them, they smelt like chicken.

‘Another is the Grateful Dead pair – because they came with the matching jibbitz.’

She’s been known to spend years finding pairs she’d set her heart on.

‘One pair took me two years to find. It was a Japanese collaboration,’ she said.

‘They come with a visor on the top of them. I haven’t worn them yet because I know how hard it is to find the international collabs and I can’t replace them.

‘They are pairs that I truly love love love.’

Rochelle added: ‘As of right now, I don’t have any plans to stop collecting.

‘I love that there are so many new Crocs and styles coming out, I just have to have them.’

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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk


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