Birkenstock

Birkenstock Orthopädie GmbH & Co. KG
Private
Founded 1774
Founder Johann Adam Birkenstock
Headquarters Neustadt (Wied), Germany
Products Shoes
Website www.birkenstock.com
Pairs of Birkenstocks (original in the back, Birki's in the front (Birki's owned by Birkenstock)

Birkenstock Orthopädie GmbH & Co. KG is a shoe manufacturer headquartered in Neustadt (Wied), Germany. The company sells Birkenstock, a German brand of sandals and other shoes notable for their contoured cork and rubber footbeds, which conform somewhat to the shape of their wearers' feet. Representative products include the two-strap Arizona sandal and the Boston clog.

History

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.[1] Also in the year 1896 Karl opened two shoe stores in Frankfurt, Germany where he continued to make and sell his insoles.[2] 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.[3] Starting in 1963 and continuing into 1964 Karl Birkenstock released his first athletic sandal with a flexible footbed called, Madrid. It soon became an icon especially among gymnasts.

In 1966 Birkenstocks were introduced in the United States, as well as elsewhere. American, Margot Fraser "discovered" Birkenstock sandals while visiting a spa in Germany.[4] She gained relief from a foot condition, and founded a trading company called Birkenstock Footprint Sandals, Inc., in Novato, California, based on her enthusiasm for the sandals. Renamed Birkenstock Distribution USA, Inc., 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 Birkenstock Distribution USA, Inc. (BDUSA).

When Margot Fraser first started distributing them in San Fransico, California, she wasn't having very much luck. Later on in the 70's a cultural revolution was taking off and so was her business. In the United States, Birkenstock first became popular among young men and later on among flower children, a group traditionally associated with American liberalism.[5] The timing was important because the "hippie" kids wanted to be different from their parents and radical and these shoes were just the beginning for them. In the early 1990s "Birk" enjoyed a surge of popularity among high-school and college-aged Generation Xers comparable to the 2000s popularity of Rainbow Sandals and Crocs.[6] During the 2004 U.S. presidential primary, some conservatives derided Howard Dean's supporters as "Birkenstock liberals".[7]

The Footbed

The footbed of the Birkenstock shoe was created in the 1930's and possesses four different layers that complete the shoes. The first layer of the shoe is the shock absorbent sole, followed by two layers of jute fibers, and a firm corked footbed. The last layer is the footbed line which is a soft suede.[8]

References

  1. ↑ History of Birkenstock
  2. ↑ "History: Birkenstock Group". www.birkenstock-group.com. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  3. ↑ e.V., Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus. "Johan Adam Birkenstock". www.germany.travel. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  4. ↑ "Talk with founder and former CEO of Birkenstock, Margot Fraser". 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  5. ↑ Carr, Collie (12 March 2006). "Thank You for Insulting Our Sandals". The New York Times. Accessed 7 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Lydia DePillis (15 November 2013). "The rise and fall and rise and fall of Crocs". Washington Post. Accessed 7 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Eric (31 August 2003). "Who's Afraid of Howard Dean?" Classical Values. Accessed 7 May 2012.
  8. ↑ "Our Footbed". www.birkenstock.com. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
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