Birkenstock Sandals

Birkenstock Shoes Section:

In 1774 in a small German village, Johann Adam Birkenstock is registered as "subject and shoemaker" in the church archives. In 1897 Johann's grandson, Konrad Birkenstock, develops a concept that would literally change the shape of footwear. Although the soles of our feet are curved, shoes had always been flat inside. Konrad theorized that if the shape of the shoes reflected the shape of the feet, greater comfort would be possible. Soon he designed the first shoe with a contoured insole to be used by shoemakers in the production of custom footwear. While on vacation in Germany, Margot Fraser seeks relief from uncomfortable shoes and the tiring effects of walking all day on hard pavement. At a spa, someone suggests that she try Birkenstocks. Margot enjoys immediate comfort with her first pair of Birkenstocks. Moreover, she finds that the chronic foot pain she had endured for years simply vanished within months after she returned home to California. Convinced of its health benefits, she begins importing Birkenstock footwear in America. That was the beginning of Birkenstock Footprint Sandals, Inc. in California.

In the 1890s, Konrad Birkenstock, descendant of Johann Birkenstock, and a custom shoemaker himself, had a revolutionary idea. Why not create a curved shoe that reflects the true shape of the human foot? The shoes they created from that idea were a great success, but unfortunately the next decade brought the introduction of cheaper factory-made shoes and a subsequent decline in the demand for custom-made footwear.

Nevertheless, Konrad Birkenstock was undaunted. He knew that his idea was good, so he decided to develop a flexible, contoured arch support that could be inserted into these new factory-made shoes. The result was a uniquely comfortable shoe. Thus, the century-old Birkenstock shoemaking operation shifted from the production of custom footwear to orthopedic shoe inserts.

Konrad and his son Carl Birkenstock then improved and refined the arch supports over the next 50 years. Their unique and popular product became known as "footbed supports" and the word "footbed" was registered as a Birkenstock trademark.

In 1954, Konrad Birkenstock's grandson Karl joined the family business. Not content in limiting the Birkenstock product line to footbed supports, Karl Birkenstock dreamed of creating a shoe that would allow the wearer to feel as comfortable and healthy as he would be walking barefoot. To create this shoe, he combined his grandfather's flexible, contoured arch supports with his own knowledge of foot structure and movement.

In a little more than 10 years, his dream became a reality with the introduction of the "Madrid".

In 1966, Margot Fraser bought her first pair of footbed sandals while vacationing in her native Germany. She discovered that the sandals greatly alleviated the chronic foot pain she had experienced since childhood. Margot realized that this was a shoe that had to come to America, and she began to sell the shoes to friends from her home in Santa Cruz, California. She is now the exclusive distributor for Birkenstock in the United States.

Today, Birkenstock offers more than 400 styles of sandals, clogs, and shoes. Birkenstocks are available in a wide range of materials, colors, and sizes, and new materials and styles are introduced each year. Yet Birkenstock remains faithful to the idea that footwear should be designed first for the feet and should be built to last.

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