Are men in uggs really muggs?

Can a man get away with wearing ugg boots?

This question has circulated the fashion world for a while now, but has recently become more prominent within the North West, after footwear brand Emu of Australia infiltrated our shoe outlets.

I was beginning to feel like a messiah for comfortable footwear - the bringer of an alternative look for the cosmopolitan, professional male in Manchester. My enlightenment came a little too soon. Upon bumping into acquaintances and friends throughout the morning, their need to berate my experimental footwear was overwhelming.

Emu Australia is the original brand behind the famous ‘uggly boot’ that was taken global by US company Deckers and their brand, Ugg Australia.

Emu has taken their superior brand of ugg boot transnational and set up camp in Manchester’s Jake’s Shoes. So, with the Aussies set for invasion, I took the brave leap out into the Manchester streets wearing the Stingler Lo ugg boot (£125) to test the water and gage the reception the ugg wearing man would receive.

These boots are very comfortable - almost too comfortable. I happily sat watching TV over the weekend with a brew and my Emu boots on. However, the safety of my living room wasn't the topic of investigation here. It was the mean streets of Manchester that needed to bestow their verdict upon the furry moon boot.

Teamed with cigarette-cut jeans, a lumberjack shirt for added masculinity and a denim jacket, the boots looked oddly well placed and, dare I say it, well styled.

Walking along my native Castlefield cobbles was a chore, but once on concrete and tarmac, I was plodding along nicely. Emu boots have a reinforced fibreglass heel which acts as a protector against randomly steeping over the side of the sole – a slobbish look that occurs with so many inferior high street copies.

Dodging builders and servicemen alike en route to Deansgate, I was beginning to feel like a messiah for comfortable footwear - the bringer of an alternative look for the cosmopolitan, professional male in Manchester.

My enlightenment came a little too soon though. Upon bumping into acquaintances throughout the morning, their need to berate my experimental footwear was overwhelming.

By noon I found myself running, or rather galloping, with difficulty due to the weight of such a boot up to people I barely knew. I felt the need to reassure them that the sheepskin boots I was wearing, were indeed an experiment for Confidential, not an example of my personal style or taste in men’s footwear in any way, shape or form. In other words both with the altered walking methodology and uneasiness about my street cred, my day was utterly exhausting.

Perhaps I caved in to the public’s disdain too soon? Perhaps I was a poor choice of guinea pig for such an experiment? Or perhaps the world just isn’t ready for me and my Emu boots? Thankfully for shearling enthusiasts, Emu Australia has a fix.

A browse of their website will present the gentlemen still in seek of comfort with many alternatives to the uggly style of boot, yet with all with the hidden luxurious characteristics such as furry lining and water-resistant sheep skin still there. So if you’re going to be a mugg, I say do it with Emu and separate yourself from the Ugg Australia craze. If not, try something new and ridiculously comfortable from the rest of the Emu line.

Jordan runs Manchester fashion blog fashion-rambler.blogspot.com

Follow Jordan on Twitter jordanjmcdowell