A woman who is so obsessed with Crocs she has spent 22 years collecting them says she now has an incredible 450 pairs.
Rochelle Burke invested in her first pair in the early 2000s - and now she says she "can't stop buying them". The 38-year-old originally started buying the comfortable footwear because of a medical condition which left her with swollen joints and she says Crocs were the only shoes that gave her "proper support".
Rochelle wears the Crocs daily and even has a pair on when she goes to work her job in a medical office. As reported by Grimsby Live, she wears a different style or colour every day which she incorporates with colourful socks.
For a smarter occasion, Rochelle dons a Croc mammoth, Croc crush boot or her Balenciaga Croc boots - and she'll throw on a pair of fuzz-lined clogs, mammoths or the neo puff boots to keep her feet warm in the colder months.
Rochelle is not the only Croc-lover in her family - with both of her parents, Lori Burke, 53, a childcare provider and Trevor Burke Sr, 65, retired, also collecting the footwear - and she even estimates that her mum has 300 pairs of her own.
Rochelle, from Waterbury in Connecticut, US, said: "The coolest thing about Crocs is that they are for everyone. Young, old - everyone can find a pair that fits for 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."
Rochelle plans which pair of Crocs she's going to wear for the week and the rest of the month and, instead of choosing to sell a pair when she's done with them, she passes them on to a friend or fellow Croc enthusiast.
She said: "The cool thing about wearing crocs is the fact they are so versatile. 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 buys all of the collaboration pairs - such as the KFC crocs, Pleasures Crocs and Balenciaga - and different styles but says that buying them 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 in to 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. Over the years they've come out with so many designs."
Rochelle also has an annual tradition with her children when they all wear Crocs during festive holidays.
The price of Crocs has increased over the years, with a classic pair now priced at roughly $60. Rochelle said: "Back in the day, you could get them for $14. They can vary in price - collaboration pairs can be more. The highest I've seen is $588 which is my most expensive pair - the Balenciaga Croc Boots. It’s cool to see more high-fashion Crocs collaborations."
Rochelle has lost count of how much she has spent on Crocs after buying so many pairs. Having such a large collection means she also has to use 'lots' of shelves and hooks on the wall to store her beloved crocs.
Rochelle thinks part of the reason for Crocs' recent rise in popularity is down to so-called 'sneakerheads' - those who collect trainers. She said: "People who love sneakers now appreciate Crocs more because of the Salehe Bembury (designer) collaboration. They've started to think that it may be just as cool to wear Crocs."
She loves all of her Crocs, but some of her favourites include the collaboration pair with KFC which features a Croc with a fried chicken pattern and KFC chicken jibbitz - the removable adds on that go in the holes in the shoes - as well as another collaboration between Crocs and the rock band Grateful Dead.
Rochelle explained: "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 also has some pairs that she hasn't worn because of how difficult they were to get hold of, and she doesn't want to have to replace them. "That pair took me two years to find," she said.
"It was a Japanese collaboration. 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."
