Birkenstock Group B.V. & Co. KG is a German
shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...
manufacturer known for its production of Birkenstocks, a German brand of
sandals
Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can some ...
and other shoes notable for their contoured
cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
footbeds (soles) made with layers of
suede
Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was fir ...
and
jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...
, which conform to the shape of their wearers' feet.
Founded in 1774 by Johann Adam Birkenstock and headquartered in
Neustadt (Wied)
Neustadt (Wied) or ''Neustadt an der Wied'' is a municipality in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated about 30 kilometres (20 miles) south-east of Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on ...
,
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the company's original purpose was to create shoes that support and contour the foot, compared to the flat soles of many shoes during that time. In 1896 the Fussbett (footbed) was created and by 1925 Birkenstocks were sold all over Europe.
In 1966, Margot Fraser first brought Birkenstocks to America. In the US, they were sold in health stores, thus becoming associated with hippies in the 1970s.
In 2015, the EVA, a rubber sandal made out of ethylene-vinyl acetate, was made as a cheaper alternative to the original cork Birkenstock.
Various
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
designer
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans.
In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
s have used Birkenstocks.
Phoebe Philo
Phoebe Philo OBE (born 1 January 1973) is a British fashion designer. She was the creative director of fashion brands Céline from 2008 to 2018 and Chloé from 2001 to 2006.
Early life and education
Philo was born in Paris to British parents wo ...
created one of the better known designs for
Celine. Composed of Birkenstock's Arizona and a
mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
covered footbed, the sandal is commonly called the "Furkenstock".
In February 2021,
L Catterton
L Catterton is a U.S.-headquartered private equity firm. Since 1989, the firm has made more than 250 investments in brands across all segments of the consumer industry.
L Catterton is led by its co-Chief Executive Officers, J. Michael Chu and S ...
, the private equity firm backed by
Bernard Arnault
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (; born 5 March 1949) is a French business magnate, investor, and art collector. He is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE, the world's largest luxury ...
's
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...
, said it had agreed to buy the German footwear group Birkenstock in a deal that valued the company at about €4bn.
History
Early years
![Birkenstocks near water](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Birkenstocks_near_water.jpg)
The Birkenstock brand traces its roots to Johann Adam Birkenstock, registered in 1774 as a "
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
and shoemaker" in local church archives in the small Hessian village of Langen-Bergheim. In 1896, Johann's great-great-grandson Konrad Birkenstock developed the first contoured
insole
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the Foot, human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cult ...
for use by shoemakers in the production of custom footwear. Also in the year 1896 Konrad created the Fussbett (footbed) and opened two shoe stores in Frankfurt, Germany, where he continued to make and sell his insoles. The Birkenstock company created many educational courses to help spread awareness of the benefits of its shoes; in 1947, Konrad's son, Carl Birkenstock, wrote the book "Podiatry-The Carl Birkenstock System"—one of many books released by Birkenstock. The year 1902 saw the development of the first flexible arch-support for insertion into factory-made shoes; and in 1964, Karl Birkenstock developed these inserts into a shoe — thus producing the original prototype of the Birkenstock sandal. In 1925 Konrad Birkenstock expanded the company by buying a large factory in
Friedberg, Hesse
Friedberg (; official name: ''Friedberg (Hessen)'') is a town and the capital of the Wetteraukreis district, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 26 km (16 miles) north of Frankfurt am Main. In 1966, the town hosted the sixth ''Hessentag'' state festiv ...
. After World War II (1939–1945) the Birkenstock sandal was popular among returning soldiers because of the orthopedic support. Starting in 1963 and continuing into 1964 Karl Birkenstock released his first athletic sandal with a flexible footbed called Madrid. The shoe was constructed so that the wearer would have to grip their toes in order keep the sandals on, this resulted in toning the calf muscle, which became quite useful to athletes, especially among gymnasts.
Margot Fraser and introduction to U.S.
![Birkenstock Village - April 2022 - Sarah Stierch 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Birkenstock_Village_-_April_2022_-_Sarah_Stierch_01.jpg)
In 1966, Margot Fraser a German dressmaker who resided in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, decided to travel back to Germany to visit a spa in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, where she was recommended Madrids to help with a foot ailment caused by tight shoes. Due to Fraser's relief from her foot condition and her enthusiasm for the sandals, Birkenstocks were introduced in the United States—though some hurdles stood in the way of their eventual acceptance by American buyers. The sandals were rejected by many shoe stores due to their appearance, which led Fraser to health stores, specifically near the granola section. The 1970s brought a spike in sales.
In the United States, Birkenstocks were first popular among young men and later on among
flower children, a group traditionally associated with
American liberalism
Liberalism in the United States is a political and moral philosophy based on concepts of unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the separation of chu ...
. The shoe became popular with
hippies
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
and others who had a "back to nature" philosophy and appreciated the natural foot shape and foot-friendly comfort of Birkenstocks. In 1973, Birkenstock's most popular sandal, the Arizona, was introduced.
Expansion and present day
Fraser founded a trading company named Birkenstock Footprint Sandals, Inc., in
Novato, California
Novato (Spanish for "Novatus") is a city in Marin County, California, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. At the 2020 census, Novato had a population of 53,225.
History
What is now Novato was originally the site of several Coast Miwok ...
. Renamed Birkenstock Distribution USA, Inc. (BDUSA), in 2005, the company remained until 2007 the exclusive importer and distributor of Birkenstock name-brand products in the United States. In 2007 the owners of Birkenstock Orthopädie GmbH & Co. KG purchased their long-standing distribution partner BDUSA.
In 1986
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...
became the first department store to sell Birkenstock sandals.
![GIZEH - Cuir Exquisite - Noir](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/GIZEH_-_Cuir_Exquisite_-_Noir.jpg)
In the early 1990s "Birks" enjoyed another spike in sales among high-school and college-aged
Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
ers, in part due to the introduction of Birkenstocks into High Fashion, most notably,
Kate Moss
Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is a British model. Arriving at the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fas ...
. Birkenstocks continued to spread to Britain in the early 2000s due to headlines of
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...
, who was spotted wearing them. Birkenstocks saw another comeback among teens and young adults in the early 2010s, as well as in the late 2010s due in part to the
VSCO girl
VSCO girls or VSCO kids () emerged among teenagers around mid- to late-2019. Named after the VSCO photography app, VSCO girls "dress and act in a way that is nearly indistinguishable from one another", using oversized T-shirts, sweatshirts or swe ...
trend. During the 2004 U.S. presidential primary, some conservatives derided
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 200 ...
's supporters as "Birkenstock liberals".
In 2018, the company was given
PETA
Peta or PETA may refer to:
Acronym
* Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943
* People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization
* People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...
's Libby Award for being the "Most Animal-Friendly Shoe Company."
High fashion
In 2012 Birkenstocks were spotted on a Céline runway in Paris. Called "Furkenstocks", this recreation of the Arizona sandal incorporated a mink covered footbed. Many other designers have also created their own version of the sandal including
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli is an Italian fashion designer. He is from Rome, Italy. His collections, both ready to wear and Haute couture are presented semi-annually during Paris Fashion Week.
Early life
Born and raised in Rome, Giambattista Valli comple ...
and
Givenchy
Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de ...
.
In 2019
Valentino collaborated with Birkenstock to create their own version of the sandal featured at Men's Paris Fashion Week.
On June 3, 2021, the Birkenstock Group announced a collaboration with fashion designer
Rick Owens
Richard Saturnino Owens (born November 18, 1962) is an American fashion designer from Porterville, California. In addition to his main line, Owens has a furniture line and a number of diffusion lines.
Early life and education
Richard Saturnino ...
. Starting on June 4 of that year, interpretations of the Arizona and Boston models were released. A new Rotterdam style was also presented and released for sale.
Production
![Birkenstock Arizona ESD](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Birkenstock_Arizona_ESD.jpg)
The original footbed of the Birkenstock shoe was created in the 1930s and possesses four different layers that complete the shoes. The first layer of the shoe is the shock absorbent sole, followed by a layer of
jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...
fibers, a firm cork footbed and another layer of jute. The last layer is the footbed line which is a soft suede.
In addition to the original footbed, Birkenstock also gives the option of a soft footbed. The shoe is made of the same materials as the original footbed, with the addition of a foam insert placed under the suede lining.
Birkenstock has also introduced a lightweight, waterproof shoe called the Birkenstock EVA, made of a material called Ethylene-Vinyl-Acetate or EVA.
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.birkenstock.com/
* https://www.mein-outlet.com/outlets/birkenstock-outlet/ List of all Birkenstock outlets in Germany
Companies established in 1774
Goods manufactured in Germany
German brands
Sandals
Shoe brands
Shoe companies of Germany
2021 mergers and acquisitions