Our History

The Birkenstock Chronicle

Thanks to its legendary innovations, the Birkenstock family has long been recognized as a pioneer in foot health. Explore the key milestones of its history, from 1774 to the present day.

1774 – The Birth of a Shoemaking Dynasty

The origins of the Birkenstock shoemaking dynasty can be traced back to 1774, through a church registry that records the name Johannes Birkenstock, who was already working as a shoemaker at that time. He would later earn the title of “master shoemaker.”

The Birkenstock brothers lived the quiet life of rural craftsmen, creating their shoes entirely by hand—from leather production and shaping to sole assembly. At the time, much of the rural German population had limited financial means and could rarely afford more than one pair of shoes. As a result, footwear needed to be functional, durable, and repairable, often maintained over the years by the local shoemaker.

In the poorest communities, shoes were even passed down from generation to generation. The respect and admiration for the shoemaking trade during this era is well illustrated by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who dedicated his 1776 poem Hans Sachsens Poetische Sendung to a shoemaker.

This heritage of craftsmanship, durability, and respect for the human foot laid the foundation for everything Birkenstock stands for today.

1897 – A Footwear Revolution

At the turn of the 20th century, life in Germany was undergoing rapid change. Steam engines, railways, and electricity had become commonplace across much of Europe. As the growing middle class drove increasing demand for consumer goods, many traditional crafts began to industrialize.

New factories were built to meet this demand, leading to the decline of many artisans including traditional shoemakers. No longer commissioned to produce entire shoes, many shoemakers shifted their focus to repairing factory-made footwear.

Konrad Birkenstock, however, remained deeply committed to the quality of craftsmanship and became increasingly interested in the orthopedic role of footwear.

Born in 1873, Konrad Birkenstock the great-great-grandson of Johann Adam Birkenstock (born in 1754) was responsible for the first true innovation in modern shoemaking within the family. In 1896, he opened a shoemaking workshop in Frankfurt, near Langen-Bergheim, home to the family’s ancestral residence. At the time, Frankfurt was a major center of the shoemaking trade.

Konrad became part of the “shoe reform” movement, putting his theories into practice. Like other forward-thinking craftsmen of his generation, he began designing shoe lasts whose structure followed the natural anatomy of the foot. Shoe lasts were and still are a critical component of the footwear manufacturing process, determining both the size and shape of the finished product.

In 1897, Konrad Birkenstock developed a fully anatomically shaped shoe last, including an ergonomically designed sole. This groundbreaking innovation featured a rounded heel, a flexible sole, and distinct left and right sides a revolutionary step that would forever change the way shoes were designed and worn.

1902 – A Flexible Insole Shaped to the Anatomy of the Foot

The early 20th century was marked by a cultural movement that sought to reconnect with nature. Emerging from this broader trend, the “shoe reform” movement aimed to better respect the natural shape of the human foot.

It was during this time that Konrad Birkenstock began rethinking the design of a modern shoe capable of supporting a natural and healthy walking motion. In 1902, his experiments led to the creation of the first anatomically shaped insole, designed as the perfect counterpart to the ergonomic shoe last.

Together, these two elements formed what Konrad Birkenstock called the “healthy shoe.”

Until then, insoles intended to treat or rehabilitate injured feet were typically made of metal. Orthopedists believed that the foot could only heal properly if it was held firmly in place. Konrad Birkenstock, however, believed that insoles should not only help heal or relieve damaged feet, but should also be essential to maintaining overall foot health.

The challenge then and now was to ensure stable foot support while keeping the insole flexible enough to promote natural movement. For more than ten years, Konrad tested various solutions. In 1913, he ultimately chose an inner structure made from a composite material containing cork. He referred to two versions of these flexible insoles as the “footbed.”

In 1925, he successfully registered the product name “footbed” for his company, Konrad Birkenstock GmbH.

This innovation laid the foundation for what would become the defining element of Birkenstock a commitment to foot health, comfort, and anatomically correct design that continues to this day

1920 – The Birkenstock System

In 1915, financial difficulties forced Konrad Birkenstock to relocate from Frankfurt to Friedberg. However, the 1920s marked a period of growing success for his insoles. Convinced that he had found an effective solution to foot pain and walking problems, Konrad was determined to spread his discovery far beyond national borders.

He began traveling throughout Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, delivering technical lectures to fellow professionals on the benefits of what he called the “Birkenstock System” footwear made using anatomically shaped lasts combined with his flexible footbed.

During the early years of research and experimentation, his ideas were not universally accepted by the general public. Nevertheless, in 1920, Konrad took a decisive step by building a factory to produce insoles on a large scale, laying the groundwork for broader adoption.

Konrad was accompanied on his European travels by his son Carl Birkenstock, who inherited his father’s passion and also dedicated himself to designing more functional footwear. Later, Carl founded his own company together with his brothers, but he chose to sell his products only to retailers who had completed mandatory training courses.

Carl believed that proper application was essential. He personally trained shoemakers and retailers on how to implement the Birkenstock System, teaching them how to customize different types of footbeds according to each customer’s needs. For Carl, it was crucial that the Birkenstock System be applied consistently and correctly in every situation.

This strict commitment to education, functionality, and foot health helped establish the foundations of what would later become Birkenstock’s enduring philosophy.

1963 – Madrid: The First Birkenstock Sandal with a Footbed

Carl Birkenstock continued to refine and expand upon his father’s ideas. In 1936, he patented the concept of the “ideal shoe,” a handcrafted model based on the principle of natural walking (Naturgewolltes Gehen “walking as nature intended”). However, producing this model on a large scale without compromising on quality, something Carl Birkenstock refused to do ultimately proved impossible.

Carl also envisioned launching nine different shoe lasts per size to maximize customization options. This concept, however, failed to gain traction both industrially and at the retail level.

In 1954, Karl Birkenstock, Carl’s son, joined the family business. With a strong interest in new technologies and materials, Karl embraced the theories of his father and grandfather regarding foot health and natural walking but arrived at a different conclusion.

Karl developed a standardized insole model based on the average dimensions of the human foot, which he integrated directly into the shoe. He reused the term “footbed”, creating what became known as the original Birkenstock footbed sandal. While the standalone insole continued to be sold as the “blue footbed,” this moment marked the birth of the cork-and-latex footbed as we know it today.

A Visionary Design Ahead of Its Time

Like many members of his family before him, Karl drew inspiration from the spirit of his era specifically from the brutalist movement in modern architecture. In 1963, Birkenstock launched the original Birkenstock footbed sandal, a design in which structure and construction were fully visible and integral to the aesthetic perfectly embodying brutalist principles.

The sandal was built around a standardized, flexible cork-and-latex footbed and featured a single adjustable strap. However, Karl Birkenstock was ahead of his time. In the 1960s, fashion was dominated by the Italian stiletto, and the sandal’s bold modernity was largely rejected by the mainstream.

Introduced at the Düsseldorf Shoe Fair in 1963, the model was considered a failure. It quickly became clear that even though Karl described his design as modern and elegant its success would not come from the fashion industry, but from the healthcare sector, where Birkenstock had already established credibility.

From Medical Recognition to Cultural Icon

Karl Birkenstock turned to the medical community to promote the sandal, producing a detailed brochure explaining its functionality. Orders soon began to pour in from healthcare professionals and this was only the beginning.

During the 20th century, lifestyles evolved rapidly. People gained more leisure time and spent more of it at home. As comfort took precedence over style for indoor footwear, Birkenstock became an obvious choice.

The original Birkenstock footbed sandal was also embraced by alternative movements, whose members expressed their nonconformist values by wearing sandals that defied conventional fashion norms. Initially identified only by product numbers (from 410 to 431), the model was finally given the name “Madrid” in 1979.

True to the brand’s principles, the Madrid sandal is made entirely from natural materials. Its unique, visionary design has remained unchanged to this day.

1985

BIRKENSTOCK ET L’UNIVERS DE LA MODE

Tout en restant pleinement concentrée sur la santé du pied, BIRKENSTOCK aborde l’univers de la mode à sa façon. La marque combine esthétique et fonctionnalité sans jamais tomber dans les tendances dominantes de la mode. Au cours des années 1980 et 1990 marquées par la reprise économique, BIRKENSTOCK vend déjà ses produits dans le monde entier, mais toujours principalement au secteur médical et aux adeptes de mouvements alternatifs écologiques. C’est alors qu’un événement inattendu se produit. En 1985, la photographe Kim Knott intègre les modèles Arizona et Boston dans un shooting avant-gardiste d’inspiration japonaise pour la couverture du Elle britannique. Quelques années plus tard, en juillet 1990, un jeune mannequin de 16 ans du nom de Kate Moss est photographié par Corinne Day dans des Birkenstock Palermo et Rio pour la couverture du magazine the Face. 90 ans après l’invention de la chaussure orthopédique, les produits BIRKENSTOCK font soudain leur apparition sur les tapis rouges et les podiums.

BIRKENSTOCK suscite désormais officiellement l’intérêt du monde de la mode. En dépit de cette notoriété soudaine, BIRKENSTOCK reste profondément attachée à ses valeurs : la forme et le lit de pied sont restés inchangés. Seul le choix des matériaux et des coloris des tiges s’est étoffé – et dans ce domaine, BIRKENSTOCK commence à passer la main. Le premier créateur de mode à se lancer dans l’aventure est Marc Jacobs, qui propose en 1993, dans sa collection « Grunge », une réinterprétation de l’iconique Arizona pour Perry Ellis. Ces versions haut de gamme sont fabriquées en cuir naturel, en soie et en daim et agrémentées d’une boucle en strass scintillante et galbée. L’édition limitée de l’Arizona est exclusivement disponible dans le grand magasin de luxe new-yorkais Bergdorf Goodman, à des milliers de kilomètres du petit village de Langen-Bergheim où tout a commencé.

Au début du nouveau millénaire, BIRKENSTOCK monte d’un cran dans l’univers de la mode : le top model Heidi Klum crée en exclusivité la collection « Glamour », dans laquelle elle revisite les modèles Arizona, Madrid et Amsterdam dans un look biker rebelle. Après le succès de cette première collaboration, BIRKENSTOCK et Heidi Klum lancent l’« Africa Collection », la « Third Collection » et la « Graffiti Collection ».

L’univers de la mode a officiellement troqué ses talons hauts contre des lits de pied anatomiques, apportant la preuve que l’élégance et la fonctionnalité ne sont pas incompatibles. Forte de cette expérience positive, BIRKENSTOCK entame d’autres collaborations avec des designers connus, notamment Rick Owens (2018, 2019, 2021), Maison Valentino (2019 et 2020), Jil Sander (2021), ainsi que des étudiants de l’université de mode Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design de Londres (2021).

BIRKENSTOCK entretient parallèlement une autre tradition familiale : les événements live (même si ceux qui sont organisés dans les années 2010 sont quelque peu plus glamours que les formations et les séminaires proposés par Konrad et Carl Birkenstock au tournant du 20e siècle). En 2017, une collection conçue avec Andreas Murkudis est présentée à Berlin dans la « BIRKENSTOCK Box » mobile, à New York dans la maison de mode de luxe Barneys, et à Milan, capitale italienne de la mode, dans le cadre de l’exposition « Birkenstock Box x 10 Corso Como ».

À la fin des années 2010, de plus en plus de créateurs remettent en question les stéréotypes et repoussent les limites de la beauté et du style – à l’instar du concept original de « chaussure idéale » développé par Carl Birkenstock, puis de la sandale Madrid, indifférente à l’approche esthétique des années 1960. Jamais la mode et les chaussures fonctionnelles n’avaient été aussi compatibles, comme le prouve l’ouverture de BIRKENSTOCK 1774, le studio créatif de BIRKENSTOCK axé sur la collaboration avec des designers établis et émergents. BIRKENSTOCK fait désormais partie intégrante de la capitale mondiale de la mode.

1964–1983 – More Iconic Models

A New Closed Design: Zürich (1964)

Karl Birkenstock was gaining momentum. Driven by creativity, he went on to develop several groundbreaking models in the years that followed. In the fall of 1964, at the “Foot and Shoe” trade fair in Hamburg, he introduced a “new closed model,” later known as the Zürich.

Karl retained the brutalist base structure, creating a clean design while keeping the construction visibly integrated into the shoe’s aesthetic. Featuring a wide upper, the model was offered in leather for outdoor wear and wool for slipper-style use.

At the time, sandals especially for men were still uncommon. Like the Madrid, the Zürich challenged conventions but offered greater foot coverage. From a functional standpoint, it appealed particularly to drivers, seniors, and professionals, who appreciated the added coverage, support, and grip provided by the wider strap.

Both models were especially embraced by alternative movements, as well as by the general public, which was beginning to take a closer interest in the benefits of health-focused footwear. The once-radical design concept gradually became more widely accepted.

The Two-Strap Sandal: Arizona (1973)

November 1973 marks one of the most important milestones in the history of Birkenstock: the launch of the Arizona.

Inspired by the Zürich, Karl Birkenstock “opened up” the shoe while preserving its form and adhering to his strict design principles. The original Arizona featured a synthetic upper lined with genuine leather, available in white or black.

Over the following four decades, hundreds of variations were created and millions of pairs sold, elevating the Arizona to best-seller status. Today, it is the very embodiment of the Birkenstock sandal.

The Arizona regularly appears in the pages of the world’s leading fashion magazines and on the feet of international celebrities across generations, including Steve Jobs, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Charlize Theron, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jeon Jungkook, Gigi Hadid, and Kaia Gerber.

The Cork Clog: Boston (1976)

In the 1970s, Birkenstock began developing a cork clog. Unlike many traditional wooden clogs of the era which were heavy and rigid the Boston was designed to be lightweight and flexible.

Launched in 1976 in a wide range of materials and colors, this minimalist closed-toe model quickly established itself as an ideal shoe for both indoor and outdoor wear, work and leisure alike.

Combining Birkenstock’s legendary orthopedic functionality and quality with increasingly fashion-forward styles—including newer Shearling and Big Buckle versions—the Boston gained a devoted following. Among its fans are celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Sienna Miller, Keira Knightley, Robert Pattinson, Kanye West, and Jason Momoa.

The Thong Sandal: Gizeh (1983)

Karl Birkenstock’s designs rarely followed mainstream fashion trends. His approach to style was largely limited to color selection, while the iconic, minimalist design of his sandals remained unchanged.

However, when thong sandals became increasingly popular, Karl recognized an opportunity to create a new iconic style. The thong silhouette was not naturally compatible with the Birkenstock footbed but Karl was determined to make it work.

After three years of meticulous experimentation, the brand’s first designer thong sandal was completed. The Gizeh was an immediate success and remains part of the brand’s Core Collection to this day.

Over the years, this elegant model has been worn by celebrities such as Julianne Moore, Heidi Klum, Anne Hathaway, and Ashley Olsen.