The latest #UGGLife campaign for Fall/Winter 2019 officially launched in Los Angeles, California on October 9th featured a fashionable crowd of its latest campaign models, ranging from artists to models and fashion icons, including model-mother Slick Woods, actor/model Luka Sabbat and father/fashion designer Clark, actress Sasha Lane and brother Sergio, fashion house Eckhaus Latta founders Zoe Latta and Mike Echkaus, rock legend Kim Gordon and artist/model daughter Coco, and the iconic model Paloma Elsesser and actress/model sister Ama. DJs Coco & Breezy brought some pulsing music to the scene and were followed by a rocking live performance by The Garden. All models were stationary and lounging as onlookers checked out the new collection which featured an updated UGG with sneaker boot vibes and many buckles that add a new touch to an already iconic shoe that’s a household name. The campaign was shot by photographer Chen Man.

But before checking out the collection and campaign, I sat down with the Elsesser sisters and chatted about the latest campaign on the evening of its launch backstage while guests began to arrive. I feel comfortable sitting with the duo because of their effortless casual attitude and warmth that is infectious. They’re simply radiant and full of life. We shared a lot of laughs and spoke about the night’s affair.

What does the #UGGLife campaign mean to you?

Paloma: “The new UGG campaign is really cool because it’s about love and family and within that, there’s authentic pairings of people that represent a new generation of what the world looks like. Icons… Essentially, all the pairings (the underbelly) is about change-makers and people who have rattled the cages of whatever industry they’re in. Historically, with like Kim Gordon and Coco, doing her stuff. Like Mike and Zoe (from Eckhaus Latta) who have really radicalized what New York fashion is looking like- it’s about authenticity and change.”

Any memories of your own UGGs?


Ama: “My mom got me a pair of UGG shoes from the UGG warehouse when I was like six. They were cheetah print with pink fur and had like pink stitching and I wore those to the bone.”

Paloma: “Oh my god! You know when you wear them out so much and the toe starts poking out?”

Ama: “Oh yeah- I wore them out to that point.”

Paloma: “I don’t remember my exact pair but our mom always wore them in a non-fashion way. The rubber bottoms though with the cool print around the back. My older sister wore them too. There was also this resurfacing that was so part of the LA private- or any private school- uniform where we wore UGG with mini Levis skirts and these tank tops from C&C. My earliest memories are really my mom wearing them in a way that was cozy and ergonomic and not ‘fashion’.”

The best part about shooting this?

Paloma: “I liked shooting with my sister.”

Ama: “Yeah. Definitely.”

They smile at each other.


What would be a look you’d wear with your UGG?


Paloma: “Probably wear a baggy pant or sweatpants or a cargo pant with a more fitted tank top. For me, style is about balance. UGG really embodies unpretentious comfort that has such a long-standing history in that, which is really rad. It’s really about balance and feeling good.”

Ama leans in to my iPhone and simply states two words.

Ama: “Juicy tracksuit.”

Paloma: “Right… That was the look.”

Ama: “The low boot.”

Paloma: “And it would be tucked in. You couldn’t have fuggs (fake UGG).”

We all laugh.

Paloma: “Oh my god. Do you remember the EMUs?”

Ama: “Oh my god!! THE EMUS!!!”

I nod my head and laugh so hard I almost begin to cry.

What does family mean to you?

Ama: “Love, trust, intimacy. The right to say and speak your mind.”

Paloma: “Yeah, family… I feel really lucky because I have an amazing core family but then you have these other echoes of family but I kind of learned what family was from my first family- where it’s an unconditional love that really holds no bounds… It’s showing me a way to love. You know with friends and stuff you can just be like ‘I’m going to cut this person off’? You can’t do that with family. It’s who you have forever. You can take time off and set boundaries but it’s about getting to that place where you know you’re with them for the long run. That’s beautiful. Like, some people have really, really have hard family dynamics and we all do in our own ways but people have different structures. This is who I’m meant to be with. This is my tribe.”

What words of wisdom would you give your younger selves?

Ama: “I would probably would tell myself to trust my gut a little bit more because my mom and dad always taught us to follow what our gut told us, to think about ourselves and the future. We all have the ingredients or essentials to be our best selves. I definitely wish I had listened to myself a little bit more. I’m definitely very young but I’m still learning to really listen to myself and my body and my mind.”

Paloma: “I would tell myself-and not to sound dogmatic- but that it’s not going to get better but you will get better at dealing with it.”