March 19, 2021
Love 'Em or Leave 'Em? Birkenstock Gets a Makeover
Kevin Schattenkirk READ TIME: 3 MIN.
For better or worse, take your pick; the COVID-19 pandemic has brought back a beloved and reviled staple of fashion: Birkenstock.
According to i-D, at the start of 2021, the German sandal had "become one of the most popular emblems of our newfound sartorial comfort, both for the diehard 'ugly show' fashion pundits and for orthopedically-inclined strollers."
But the latest Birkenstocks have been reimagined. In 2018, the brand initiated a collaboration with four students from the London-based Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design to rethink the iconic footwear. Alex Wolfe, Saskia Lenaerts, Alecsander Rothschild, and Dingyun Zhang – all studying in the college's MA Fashion course at the time of collaboration but now graduated – were asked to redesign one of the brand's archival designs.
Assisted by Fabio Piras, their course leader, and students in the Fashion History and Theory program, the four designers were given leeway in designing the sandal according to their vision. They were given only one requirement: They must keep the signature footbed, initially intended for orthopedic purposes over 250 years ago.
This particular collaboration resulted in, at times, radical reinventions of the sandals.
Wolfe's design starts with the brand's "Rotterdam Moto" sandal and becomes, as i-D describes, "more like a BMX accessory than a domestic slipper." Wolfe uses a colorful graphic print and exaggerated buckles he acquired from the brand's factories.
"A Birkenstock sandal is different to what I would usually wear or work with, but I'm interested in technical shoes," Wolf said. "I was drawn to the straps and the orthopedic side, and I liked taking something serious and symbolic of safety and contrasting it with something a bit more energetic, playful, like that motorcycle daredevil 100mph attitude."
Shanghai-based Zhang presents a "pillowy version of the 'Arizona' sandal," which was inspired by "futuristic outerwear and her signature oversized puffers."
Danish designer Rothschild took cues from Brancusi sculptures' mixed materials and textures for his redesign, with three types of leather used to create dramatically winged sandals.
"Birkenstocks have become so popular during lockdown, so it's been really good timing to show them in not such a mundane setting," Rothschild said. "It was fun to challenge how the shoe looks and to see what you can do with it and how far you can take it. What if it's a sculpture on the foot, in the most comfortable sandal?"
Lenaerts' approach to the "Milano" sandal compliments the softness of Birkenstock's signature molded footbed.
All four designers have graduated and begun their respective careers in a challenging COVID-19 era, with the Birkenstock capsule collection offering a much-needed jumpstart. The sandals are in production, with the sole of each sandal embossed with the designer's name. As if that weren't impressive already, each designer received additional financial compensation.
"Having a project like this, with a company that says they're still going to do it and actually go ahead with it during such a difficult time, it shows they also have those values of taking it to the end," Lenaerts said. "The evidence is there that we're no longer students, and we're capable of working with a brand on a major project like this. This is proof we can do this and that other companies should think like this."
On another note, brothers Alex and Christian Birkenstock – heirs to the family brand – recently sold their shares in the company to an equity firm, and are reported to be worth $1.7 billion each, according to Forbes.
Kevin Schattenkirk is an ethnomusicologist and pop music aficionado.
