Pandemic restrictions have meant one thing for most wardrobes: comfort . As it turns out, the ultimate expression of that phenomenon is a pair of Birkenstocks . With its boat-like natural cork, jute, and latex sole and sturdy buckled straps, Birkenstock makes an anti-fashion statement that transcends trends, yet somehow manages to set them. Birkenstock’s history dates back to 1774 when Johann Adam Birkenstock, a shoemaker in Langen-Bergheim, Germany, began working as a shoemaker. In 1896, his grandson Konrad began marketing a revolutionary product: anatomical footbeds that support and shape your foot. By 1925, they were being sold across Europe. In the early 20th century, the company expanded to training doctors on the musculoskeletal and circulatory benefits of its specialized footwear. In 1947, Konrad's son Carl published the book "Podiatry - The Carl Birkenstock System," outlining his approach to supporting one's "natural gait" for healthy feet. This was the first of many Birkenstock textbooks and manuals filled with inspiring ideas, such as walking barefoot in nature and soaking feet in spruce needle salts and cold water. The 1960s proved to be the creation of Birkenstock as we know it today. In 1963 Carl's son Karl launched the first sandal, the Madrid single strap, initially marketed as a sneaker and still a key style today. Three years later, Margot Fraser, a German seamstress living in California, was on vacation and was recommended a pair of Madrids as therapy for her aching feet. Instantly impressed, she approached the family to become the brand's first U.S. distributor. Fraser initially struggled to get interest from shoe retailers and ended up finding a place for the sandals in health food stores instead. Here, hippies discovered them alongside vitamins and dried lentils, and as the Summer of Love unfolded, Birkenstocks became the shoe of choice from San Francisco to Vermont.
The two-strap Arizona sandal arrived in 1973, which became and remains the brand’s best-selling product. Over the years, many subcultures have embraced Birkenstocks as part of a uniform, from surfers to skaters, but it took until the 1990s for high fashion to fully take notice. The trend (like many of that decade) started with Kate Moss. The brand is still family-owned and operated, still German-made (it has four factories across the country), and has historically placed little emphasis on marketing or endorsements. It now sells in more than 100 countries and offers around 800 styles, including the tried-and-true Gizeh flip-flop and Boston clog, all of which remain true to the footbed.
