[Birkenstocks are contrarians]( like overalls or windbreakers. The flat, fat-bottomed sandals, with their thick straps, big buckles, and gender neutrality have a foot firmly planted in the [âuglyâ fashion]( category. They donât flatter the foot or raise the derriere. Instead, theyâre crafted for comfort.
The wearers of these classic German sandals wander with confidence and ease. And they are legion. Once beloved by hippies (and hippies alone), the sandals have lately spawned imitations by the likes of Chanel and sell at high-fashion retailers like Barneys. Although most Birks (as theyâre affectionately known) go for about $100 a pop ([$145 with glitter]( some fashionistas will pay much more to show they know that [ugly is beautiful](.
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[Quartz Obsession]
Birkenstocks
May 30, 2018
Heart and sole
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[Birkenstocks are contrarians]( like overalls or windbreakers. The flat, fat-bottomed sandals, with their thick straps, big buckles, and gender neutrality have a foot firmly planted in the [âuglyâ fashion]( category. They donât flatter the foot or raise the derriere. Instead, theyâre crafted for comfort.
The wearers of these classic German sandals wander with confidence and ease. And they are legion. Once beloved by hippies (and hippies alone), the sandals have lately spawned imitations by the likes of Chanel and sell at high-fashion retailers like Barneys. Although most Birks (as theyâre affectionately known) go for about $100 a pop ([$145 with glitter]( some fashionistas will pay much more to show they know that [ugly is beautiful](.
ð [View this email on the web](
Reuters/Ina Fassbender
By the digits
[10 million:]( Pairs of Birkenstocks sold in 2012
[25 million:]( Pairs sold in 2017
[â¬750 million ($800 million):]( Global revenue for Birkenstock in 2016, the most recent figures disclosed by the privately-held company, up three-fold from 2012
[112:]( Pages in the 1947 book Podiatric System Birkenstock, which the company claims was the most widely read podiatric textbook of its time
[6:]( Layers in the sole of a Birkenstock sandal, including suede lining, plus two layers of jute, cork core, foam, and outsole
[115:]( Birkenstock styles featured at the companyâs first Paris Fashion Week show in 2017
[1,800:]( Styles produced by Birkenstock as of 2017
2: Pairs of Birkenstocks the writer of this email owns right now
Quotable
âIt was only a matter of time before looking like a stork could no longer be rendered en vogue. But to be quite honest⦠I couldnât have seen the low-heelâs violently odd and awkward cousin, the Birkenstock, slip through the fashion week cracks if Celine hit me over the head with one.â
[â Leandre Medine Cohen, fashionista/blogger (famed for Man Repeller blog)](
Brought to you by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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Fun fact!
The oldest known footwear on Earth is a pair of sandals discovered in the US state of Oregon; which are [at least 10,000 years old.](
Reuters/Ina Fassbender
Timeline
1774: Johann Adam Birkenstock registers in the church archives as âvassal and shoemakerâ in the village Langen-Bergheim.
1896: Konrad Birkenstock opens two stores in Frankfurt, selling shoes with [innovative contoured insoles](.
1914: Konrad Birkenstock works for the Frankfurt-Friedrichsheim hospitalâs rehabilitation ward, making custom orthopedic inserts for wounded soldiers in World War I.
1963: Birkenstock makes its first sandal, the [Madrid]( which features a cork and latex footbed.
1966: Birkenstocks enter the US market with the help of a German immigrant named Margot Fraser, who sold them first to the [managers of health-food stores](.
1990: Fashion model Kate Moss is photographed [wearing Birks]( and smoking a cigarette in a spread for [The Face](.
1996: A labor dispute [threatens the hippie credibility]( of the shoemaker.
2012: Birkenstocks [break into high fashion]( when Céline presents its latest collection with models wearing [Arizonas]( lined with mink, which become known as âFurkenstocks.â
2014: Celebrities [wearing Birkenstocks]( pop up everywhere.
2016: Birkenstock drops Amazon as a seller, accusing it of [allowing fakes to flourish]( on the site.
2017: Birkenstock is named â[Brand of the Year]( at the Annual Footwear News Achievement Awards. âJust a short while ago, every major media outlet said [Birkenstock] was the ugliest thing theyâve ever seen,â said Birkenstock CEO David Kahan [after receiving the award](. âTalk about fake news.â
2018: Fendi creates logo-laden [Birkenstock-inspired slides]( that sell for $760; Birkenstock[collaborated with designer Rick Owens]( on a furry $400 version. ð
(Birkenstock USA)
Quotable
âBloomingdaleâs came in with their fashion officeâsix 20-something girls flitting around, picking up Birkenstocks and going, âSo cute! So cute!â Six months ago, they would have said, âThatâs the ugliest thing I could ever wear.âââ
[â David Kahan, CEO Birkenstock USA](
Reuters/Stefan Wermuth
compare + contrast
Trademark battles
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Birkenstock has more in common with [luxury shoemaker Christian Louboutin]( than you might imagine. Both shoemakers claim distinctive soles worthy of a trademarkâbut in 2016, a European court [rejected the German sandal-makerâs arguments]( that a wavy pattern on the sole was a distinctive mark. This year, Louboutinâs claim to a shade of red known as Pantone 18 1663TP was found to not be distinctive in an advisory opinion by the European Court of Justice.
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Giphy
Pop quiz
Which of these celebrities paints Birkenstocks for fun and gives them away as gifts?
Mary-Kate and Ashley OlsenNaomi WattsJulianne MooreHeidi Klum
Correct. The model and TV personality also turned her hobby into an official Birkenstock collaboration in 2002.
Incorrect. But she has certainly worn them.
If your inbox doesnât support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email.
Watch this!
YouTubeâs resident Australian âPrimitive Technologyâ guru John Plant crafts sandals by hand from loya cane.
take me down this ð° hole!
If you ever need a reminder that nothing is permanent: Hereâs [a brief history of shower shoes](.
Reuters/Ina Fassbender
Poll
Would you be caught dead or alive in Birks?
[Click here to vote](
I much prefer to walk awkwardly.Iâd sleep in footbeds if I could.If the occasion calls for an ugly sandal!
The fine print
In yesterdayâs Obsession about [pineapples]( we asked what you think of Hawaiian pizza. Nearly half of you (48%) said, “Itâs pork. Itâs pineapple. Itâs perfection.”
Todayâs email was written by [Ephrat Livni]( edited by [Jessanne Collins]( and produced by [Luiz Romero](.
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