Background
Otto was born in 1951 to two high school educators.
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Doug Otto
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He attended and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in business economics in 1973.
Career
The duo, with Otto handling sales and distribution while Lopker oversaw manufacturing, based the company on durable, long-lasting sandals which catered to the surf community. After buying out Lopker in 1982, Otto decided to license and manufacture other companies" product which resulted in a 1985 agreement with Teva. Deckers went public in October 1993 and in 1995 acquired UGG Australia.
The move, engineered by Otto, has been described as a ".. brilliant and lucrative business maneuver.." and ".. one of the great success stories within the consumer category." The UGG brand, with Deckers, gained market traction slowly, but after an Oprah Winfrey feature on a "Favorite Things show sales and popularity increased dramatically.
UGGs soon became a fashion trend ingrained in popular culture with celebrities such as Kate Moss, Katy Perry, Gisele Bündchen, and Sarah Michelle Gellar all wearing the brand as well as being shown on Sex and the City. Otto retired from Deckers in 2008, but revenue continued to climb and first hit $1 billion United States dollars in 2010.
