Birkenstocks have recently become a new fashion trend, with their versatility and their comfort, they're infiltrating the closets of all ages. You will hear many parents talking about how they "had them before they were cool," and how your mom used to wear those before they were meant for fashion, but were instead worn for comfort. While it may not be the most "attractive" shoe on the market, the comfort of the sole of this sandal is hard to beat.
Your parents may have worn Birkenstocks during their generation, but so did the generation before them. Little do many people know, Birkenstocks have been around since 1774. A man named Johann Adam Birkenstock was registered as a shoemaker in archives found within a church. About a 100 years later, in 1896, Konrad Birkenstock reinvented the Birkenstock name and customized a unique new design for the soles of the shoe. The shoe really took off in 1915 when Franfurt-Friedrichsheim Hospital hired Birkenstock to make a supportive shoe for wounded soldiers.
Birkenstocks became the shoe that most doctors recommended to their patients in recovery. They said that the shoe had some of the best kind of support on the market. Eventually, the word broke out from the soldiers and doctors about this shoe. The Birkenstock was first introduced to America in 1960, which is when the fashion trend started to take hold. It was during this year that the makers of Birkenstocks shifted their gears and tried to mold the shoe with the public in mind. While this sole was being used for medical purposes, the company chose to redesign it and bring this new shoe to a broader audience. The design that came out in 1990 was the first truly successful one that differed from their original design.
And as this company has grown exponentially over the past 100 years, the Birkenstock company still keeps it's traditional high quality shoe up to standards. Birkenstock has remained a family company, for over 200 years, and continues to be passed down from generation to generation. Each generation must uphold the same EcoFriendly and high quality materials that they have used since the invention of the original Birkenstock.
The shoe has transformed a lot over the past 100 years, beginning as a form of support for the wounded and then becoming an everyday commodity. It has become the saving grace of those who honestly just need a sandal with a good sole.
Don't forget when you slip on those Birks, the history behind the shoe that will always give you the support you need.
