Birkenstock

A pair of Birkenstocks near the ocean.

The Birkenstock brand traces its roots to Johann Adam Birkenstock, registered in 1774 as a "vassal 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 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.[1] 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. After World War II (1939–1945), the Birkenstock sandal was popular among returning soldiers because of the orthopedic support.[2] 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 to keep the sandals on; this resulted in toning the calf muscle, which became quite useful to athletes, especially among gymnasts.[3]

A Birkenstock branded store, Birkenstock Village, in Santa Rosa, California.

In 1966, Margot Fraser, a German dressmaker who resided in California, decided to travel back to Germany to visit a spa in Bavaria, where she was recommended Madrids to help with a foot ailment caused by tight shoes.[4] 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. Many shoe stores rejected the sandals due to their appearance, leading Fraser to health stores near the granola section.[5] 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. The shoe became popular with hippies and others who had a "back to nature" philosophy and appreciated the natural foot shape and foot-friendly comfort of Birkenstocks.[6] In 1973, Birkenstock's most popular sandal, Arizona, was introduced.

Fraser founded a trading company named Birkenstock Footprint Sandals, Inc., in Novato, California. 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.[7]

In 1986 Nordstrom became the first department store to sell Birkenstock sandals.

Birkenstock EVA Gizeh

In the early 1990s, "Birks" enjoyed another spike in sales among high-school and college-aged Generation Xers, in part due to the introduction of Birkenstocks into High Fashion, most notably, Kate Moss. Birkenstocks continued to spread to Britain in the early 2000s due to headlines of Gwyneth Paltrow, who was spotted wearing them.[8] 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 trend.[9] During the 2004 U.S. presidential primary, some conservatives derided Howard Dean's supporters as "Birkenstock liberals".

In 2018, the company was given PETA's Libby Award for being the "Most Animal-Friendly Shoe Company."[10]