Wearing a fancy dress? Birkenstocks. Going for a bike ride? Birkenstocks. Going to the store? Birkenstocks with socks. Birkenstocks are the footwear of choice in Denmark. It is a country of industrial fashion and I love it.
Why Birkenstocks? It’s a classic. The roots of the shoemaking dynasty can be found in 1774 when Johannes Birkenstock is mentioned. He became a ‘master craftsmen in shoemaking.’ In 1774, a pair of shoes was to last a lifetime with the servicing of a local cobbler.
‘Konrad Birkenstock (b. 1873), the great-grandson of Johann Adam Birkenstock, made the family’s first genuine shoe making breakthrough. In 1897 Konrad Birkenstock developed the anatomically-shaped shoe last. This innovation featured a rounded heel, a malleable sole, and it distinguished between the left and right feet. The mainstream industry would soon standardize these new lasts for different foot sizes and integrate them into industrial shoe production.’ *
Needless to say, Konrad was a revolution in footwear and foot health. Thank you Konrad! We are a grateful world.
It makes me chuckle when I see articles on ‘don’t come to Europe with ugly shoes, you won’t get service!’ Wrong. Come to Denmark. Go to Germany. Keep them in your bag in Paris because you’ll want them at the airport. So keep those Birkenstocks close. I do.
*History of Birkenstock can be found at Birkenstock.com.
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