The Unlikely Return of Birkenstock
Return? Birkies, umm, left?
They’ve been going in and out of style about every twenty years since the Sixties, like many things fashion. Like a faithful Apple user that’s been clinging to Macs through thick and thin since 1985, I can’t tell you how many pair I’ve had since the early 80s.
Recently my partner had a strap break on her Birks that were only 3 months old. Knowing the age and reputation of the brand, i assumed this would be an easy fix. She emailed them, but got an unexpected response of effectively “bad luck”. They actually suggested we return them to the retailer, but she bought them on vacation, so that’s not possible in this case. Despite explaining that, they didn’t seem to care, in fact, they simply stopped responding to her replies. Needless to say, we are done with the brand now.
I have two pairs of Birkenstocks, a cheap foam pair and another cork leather one that I just got. I've been wearing them for the past year, even in the winter or in the rain.
My conversion followed from the thought of having sock-less shoes, mainly from the cathartic feeling of removing them after a long day. A cousin recommended me to get a pair of Allbirds; initially, I liked the material of the shoe but it still didn't feel "breathable" (especially on a hot day in summer) and the wool began to rub my feet in a wrong way. This is in addition to the issue of build quality: the glue at the head of the shoe was visible, and also began to deteriorate; I've also had a friend whose Allbirds ripped during a session of basketball -- it lasted only a couple of months.
I'm not sure about how other people feel about this, but if a shoe or a sandal costs over $100, it should last at least for a year or two; I sincerely doubt that the difference between retail price and manufacturing cost is small enough to not cover a replacement 3 times over.
My issues with Allbirds stirred me to find a long-lasting, breathable pair of footwear. I don't remember if it was seeing people on campus wear sandals, or hearing about the longevity about Birkenstocks on reddit that drove me to buying a cheap, "test" pair.
After test-driving a foam version, I decided to invest the mid-tier Arizona sandal (which I'm still wearing today).
Back to the main question, is the "return" of Birkenstocks unlikely. I don't think so: the culture of the company seems to fit well with the demographics of millennials, who aren't afraid to splurge on items with great story / quality behind it.
And anecdotally, the first time I wore them outside, my friends jestingly compared my sense of fashion to a "white, sorority girl" (which I take to be an implication of their popular amongst college students).
I did find my Birkenstocks to be some of the most comfortable sandals I had owned, after breaking them in of course. What was interesting was that if you didn't wear them pretty much non-stop for a couple of months in warm weather, the soles wouldn't do the whole re-mold themselves to the shape of your foot thing.
These days I've replaced them with a pair of Chacos which are just as comfortable and I can throw them in the washing machine if they get too dirty.
Dr. Martens will always be cool. Birkenstocks, not so much.
Unlikely? Overdue. - Seattle reader
My wife loves Birkenstock and owns multiple of them, spread throughout our house.
I kept wearing my Adidas Adilette for years until they finally broke apart. It was a sad day. I was looking for a replacement but my wife convinced me of trying out Birkenstock being more healthy and all. She bought me a pair and they are the right size, but... oh dear... after a few seconds my feet really start to hurt like walking on fire!
I have a bit of a flat foot but otherwise no pain at all. Should i keep wearing them for health's sake? Will my feet eventually adapt to them and stop hurting?
I miss my Adilettes...
I've had many Birkenstocks but these have lasted me since 1998 (20 years!) with just a single sole replacement.
The most comfortable shoes I've ever owned.
https://www.zappos.com/p/birkenstock-memphis-dark-brown-leat...
Birkenstock has an actual distinctive product.
I'm more curious about the efforts to revive/remarket Champion and Fila as the streetwear brands they are today.
I smell marketing repositioning and public relations relaunch. Good luck to them though, I like what the brand stands for
I have (and I wear them at the moment) a single pair, while my wife has several pairs, so it might be we're biassed, but... here in Berlin, pretty much you can see them everywhere. In public transport, stores, on a street, in summer and in winter. They are _everywhere_, it's incredible.
I see Birkenstocks as orthopedic shoes that shouldn't be worn on a healthy foot. Think what happens if you push a brick in an arch from below. Huaraches, Luna sandals etc. are a better option healthwise, people run ultramarathons in them and the design has thousands of years of history.
It was interesting to read about industry in Gorlitz. It's a quaint town that was divided between Poland (Zgorzelec) and Germany following World War II along the river which became the border. I once visited there in the early 2000s. From what I recall, the bridge between them was destroyed in the middle, with both ends left standing. After the fall of Communism, it was converted to an art installation.
Unlikely? It's fashion: it's cyclical.
I prefer Teva, because of the sturdiness, longevity, and the relatively large "bumper" area protecting the toes.
I saw a dude wearing them at the gym a few days ago. I didn't know what to think.
this article headline and article itself strongly reminded me of Paul Grahams 'submarine' [0] article
I don't like it. It's ugly and bulky
I hate them with a passion. I will never forget the late 80's, when a lot of German "cows" would wear them in combination with mini skirts, skirts in pink patent leather and in the whole country, women would put an emphasis on "not giving a shit" how they dressed, to demonstrate their "freedom from opression". 20 years later, the heels couldn't be high enough.