Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Birkenstocks are in vogue today, but retailers once thought they were so ugly that no Americans would ever want to wear them. So how did Birkenstocks go from ugly to stylish? This is the story of Birkenstock.
Sources
“People,” Industrial Design, October 1957
“He Has Salesmanship Know-How,” Mildred Ann Smith, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Jan 31, 1965
“Gordon Fraser to Teach Class in Salesmanship,” Santa Cruz Sentinel, Jan 30, 1966
“She’s Teaching Fashion Independence,” Mildred Ann Smith, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Mar 5, 1967
“Santa Cruzans Experiment with Organic Farming,” Mildred Ann Smith, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Sep 5, 1965
“On the Health Spa Circuit,” Mildred Hamilton, The San Francisco Examiner, Apr 23, 1968
“Marin Distributes Sandals for Aching Feet of American,” Don Keown, Daily Independent Journal, Apr 12, 1975
“These Feet Were Made for Walking.” Suzanne McMasters, The Plattsmouth Journal, Aug 10, 1978
“In Search of Cosmic Profit,” Raymond Muego, The San Francisco Examiner, Nov 18, 1979
“Aching Feet Inspire Big Business,” Pete Jacobs, Statesman Journal, Jul 12, 1981
“Sandal Shop To Celebrate Grand Opening Saturday,” Times-Press-Recorder, Apr 8, 1983
“Birkenstocks’ Stock is on the Rise,” Sylvia Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle via The Chapel Hill Herald, Sep 25, 1991
“Be It Ever So Birkenstock,” Richard Stengel, The New York Times, Aug 30, 1992
“Birkenstocks Set Trends All the Way to Bank,” Daniel Akst, The Los Angeles Times, Oct 6, 1992
“Clunking Toward Eternity: 30 Years of Birkenstocks,” Mary Gottschalk, Knight-Ridder News Service via The Record, Aug 8, 1996
“Step by Step,” Gilbert Chan, The Sacramento Bee, May 2, 1994
“Thank you for Insulting Our Sandals,” Coeli Carr, The New York Times, Mar 12, 2006
Dealing with the Tough Stuff, Margot Fraser, Lisa Lorimer, 2009
“Frances McDormand Wears Custom Valentino Birkenstocks on Stage at the Oscars,” Brooke Bobb, Feb 24, 2019
“Fashion Embraces Chunky Sandal,” Bethany Holt, National Post, Jun 6, 2019
“Birkenstock Goes Toe-to-Toe Against Counterfeiters,” CBS Sunday Morning, Aug 21, 2022
“From LSD to I.P.O.,” Elizabeth Paton, The New York Times, Oct 11, 2023
“About Us: Tradition Since 1774,” Birkenstock, 2024
“Birkenstock During the Third Reich,” Dr. Andrea H. Schneider-Braunberger, 2024
Birkenstocks are in vogue today, but retailers once thought they were so ugly that no Americans would ever want to wear them. So how did Birkenstocks go from ugly to stylish? This is the story of Birkenstock.
Sources
“People,” Industrial Design, October 1957
“He Has Salesmanship Know-How,” Mildred Ann Smith, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Jan 31, 1965
“Gordon Fraser to Teach Class in Salesmanship,” Santa Cruz Sentinel, Jan 30, 1966
“She’s Teaching Fashion Independence,” Mildred Ann Smith, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Mar 5, 1967
“Santa Cruzans Experiment with Organic Farming,” Mildred Ann Smith, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Sep 5, 1965
“On the Health Spa Circuit,” Mildred Hamilton, The San Francisco Examiner, Apr 23, 1968
“Marin Distributes Sandals for Aching Feet of American,” Don Keown, Daily Independent Journal, Apr 12, 1975
“These Feet Were Made for Walking.” Suzanne McMasters, The Plattsmouth Journal, Aug 10, 1978
“In Search of Cosmic Profit,” Raymond Muego, The San Francisco Examiner, Nov 18, 1979
“Aching Feet Inspire Big Business,” Pete Jacobs, Statesman Journal, Jul 12, 1981
“Sandal Shop To Celebrate Grand Opening Saturday,” Times-Press-Recorder, Apr 8, 1983
“Birkenstocks’ Stock is on the Rise,” Sylvia Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle via The Chapel Hill Herald, Sep 25, 1991
“Be It Ever So Birkenstock,” Richard Stengel, The New York Times, Aug 30, 1992
“Birkenstocks Set Trends All the Way to Bank,” Daniel Akst, The Los Angeles Times, Oct 6, 1992
“Clunking Toward Eternity: 30 Years of Birkenstocks,” Mary Gottschalk, Knight-Ridder News Service via The Record, Aug 8, 1996
“Step by Step,” Gilbert Chan, The Sacramento Bee, May 2, 1994
“Thank you for Insulting Our Sandals,” Coeli Carr, The New York Times, Mar 12, 2006
Dealing with the Tough Stuff, Margot Fraser, Lisa Lorimer, 2009
“Frances McDormand Wears Custom Valentino Birkenstocks on Stage at the Oscars,” Brooke Bobb, Feb 24, 2019
“Fashion Embraces Chunky Sandal,” Bethany Holt, National Post, Jun 6, 2019
“Birkenstock Goes Toe-to-Toe Against Counterfeiters,” CBS Sunday Morning, Aug 21, 2022
“From LSD to I.P.O.,” Elizabeth Paton, The New York Times, Oct 11, 2023
“About Us: Tradition Since 1774,” Birkenstock, 2024
“Birkenstock During the Third Reich,” Dr. Andrea H. Schneider-Braunberger, 2024
