
The Unlikely Return of Birkenstock - gpresot
https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/cathy-horyn-on-birkenstocks-unlikely-rise.html
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mikestew
Return? Birkies, umm, left?

They’ve been going in and out of style about every twenty years since the
Sixties, like many things fashion. Like a faithful Apple user that’s been
clinging to Macs through thick and thin since 1985, I can’t tell you how many
pair I’ve had since the early 80s.

~~~
Lunatic666
In Germany it's a stereotype that all doctors or health work related people
have to wear them, but they're not really trendy or anything. In Singapore
where I live now, they however are quite visible in malls and people seem to
like them here. For myself I think they're too hard, otherwise I'd prefer them
over caging my feet in too much plastic. Good reminder to give them a try
again.

~~~
najodleglejszy
>In Germany it's a stereotype that all doctors or health work related people
have to wear them

that's interesting. where I live, most health professionals wear crocs.
they're quite comfortable, light, and super easy to wash since you can just
plop them in a sink.

~~~
nmcfarl
At my local hospital, in rural Oregon, it's all Danskos all the time. It seems
that there are lots of local footwear monocultures.

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verelo
Recently my partner had a strap break on her Birks that were only 3 months
old. Knowing the age and reputation of the brand, i assumed this would be an
easy fix. She emailed them, but got an unexpected response of effectively “bad
luck”. They actually suggested we return them to the retailer, but she bought
them on vacation, so that’s not possible in this case. Despite explaining
that, they didn’t seem to care, in fact, they simply stopped responding to her
replies. Needless to say, we are done with the brand now.

------
QML
I have two pairs of Birkenstocks, a cheap foam pair and another cork leather
one that I just got. I've been wearing them for the past year, even in the
winter or in the rain.

My conversion followed from the thought of having sock-less shoes, mainly from
the cathartic feeling of removing them after a long day. A cousin recommended
me to get a pair of Allbirds; initially, I liked the material of the shoe but
it still didn't feel "breathable" (especially on a hot day in summer) and the
wool began to rub my feet in a wrong way. This is in addition to the issue of
build quality: the glue at the head of the shoe was visible, and also began to
deteriorate; I've also had a friend whose Allbirds ripped during a session of
basketball -- it lasted only a couple of months.

I'm not sure about how other people feel about this, but if a shoe or a sandal
costs over $100, it should last at least for a year or two; I sincerely doubt
that the difference between retail price and manufacturing cost is small
enough to not cover a replacement 3 times over.

My issues with Allbirds stirred me to find a long-lasting, breathable pair of
footwear. I don't remember if it was seeing people on campus wear sandals, or
hearing about the longevity about Birkenstocks on reddit that drove me to
buying a cheap, "test" pair.

After test-driving a foam version, I decided to invest the mid-tier Arizona
sandal (which I'm still wearing today).

Back to the main question, is the "return" of Birkenstocks unlikely. I don't
think so: the culture of the company seems to fit well with the demographics
of millennials, who aren't afraid to splurge on items with great story /
quality behind it.

And anecdotally, the first time I wore them outside, my friends jestingly
compared my sense of fashion to a "white, sorority girl" (which I take to be
an implication of their popular amongst college students).

~~~
taeric
I've yet to try any sandal that can last over a year or two. These included.
Now, the absolute crap shoes that are only a dollar last a week or so. So, I
agree that the higher quality ones last longer. However, I think simple math
would show that no shoe actually lasts a long time. That said, I don't have
the numbers to back this. Would love to be shown wrong.

~~~
finaliteration
I swear by Rainbow sandals. I just replaced a pair that I had for nearly 10
years.

~~~
lozaning
I grew up down the street from their original socal factory/store, been
wearing rainbows for decades. I've got a ratty 12+ year old pair I wear to go
surfing, a pair I bought in the last year that I can get away with wearing to
work, and a couple other pairs in-between. If you get a chance check out the
factory store in San Clemente, they've got pairs up on the walls with all
sorts of super awesome stories.

~~~
finaliteration
Yeah they’re amazing! My wife balked at me buying sandals for $50-60 (she’s
used to $10 sandals that wear out in a year), but they’re so damn comfortable
after you break them in and last what seems like forever. The only reason I
got rid of my last pair was because the color was fading pretty badly, but
other than that they’re still totally wearable.

I also love them because they aren’t huge and bulky like Reef brand and
others. They actually look somewhat “classy” as far as sandals go.

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ChuckMcM
I did find my Birkenstocks to be some of the most comfortable sandals I had
owned, after breaking them in of course. What was interesting was that if you
didn't wear them pretty much non-stop for a couple of months in warm weather,
the soles wouldn't do the whole re-mold themselves to the shape of your foot
thing.

These days I've replaced them with a pair of Chacos which are just as
comfortable and I can throw them in the washing machine if they get too dirty.

~~~
sdrothrock
> I can throw them in the washing machine if they get too dirty.

I bought my first pair of Birkenstocks in March and this is basically the
issue I'm running into; with everyday wear, rain or shine, they get very funky
very quickly and cleaning them is tedious and time-consuming.

The heel wore away quickly too and now the cork is rapidly disintegrating...
I'm not too eager to buy another pair.

~~~
jamesvandyne
You can take them to the shop and repair / replace the heel and cork. Cost-
wise I think my Bostons were $150 new and to fully replace the cork and sole
was about $90. Much cheaper than a new pair. Just the sole wouldn't be nearly
that much.

~~~
sdrothrock
Mine were $50 new at Costco, so it doesn't really sound like much of a
savings.

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chriselles
Dr. Martens will always be cool. Birkenstocks, not so much.

~~~
DiabloD3
Doc Martens don't actually exist anymore, however. It is just a brand that was
outsourced to China and Vietnam, so unless you have an authentic vintage pair,
you don't actually have a pair at all.

Doc Martens used to be made by a factory in the UK, and the company dropped
them. Solovair still operates the old UK factory, using the same employees and
the same machines and the same techniques (such as the Goodyear welt stitching
technique), since it was theirs to begin with.

Literally, those classic Doc Martens were just a Solovair sole combined with a
Greggs upper (the company that owned the Doc Marten brand), stitched together
at the Solovair factory.

What Greggs _really_ provided was patents owned by an actual guy named Doctor
Marten, who tried to make more ergonomic boots; all of those patents involved
the soles, of which the technology was licensed to Solovair and is now part of
their product line as the patents have long since expired; even though it was
a Greggs upper, there wasn't anything magic about the upper in a Doc Marten,
it was all in the sole.

It isn't often HN and /r/BuyItForLife/ intersect.

~~~
SmellyGeekBoy
Surely by this logic even the "authentic vintage" Doc Martens weren't all that
authentic either. If it's just a case of sticking a brand on someone else's
shoe what does it matter where they're manufactured. ;)

------
flattone
Unlikely? Overdue. - Seattle reader

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zubspace
My wife loves Birkenstock and owns multiple of them, spread throughout our
house.

I kept wearing my Adidas Adilette for years until they finally broke apart. It
was a sad day. I was looking for a replacement but my wife convinced me of
trying out Birkenstock being more healthy and all. She bought me a pair and
they are the right size, but... oh dear... after a few seconds my feet really
start to hurt like walking on fire!

I have a bit of a flat foot but otherwise no pain at all. Should i keep
wearing them for health's sake? Will my feet eventually adapt to them and stop
hurting?

I miss my Adilettes...

~~~
colourgarden
> I have a bit of a flat foot but otherwise no pain at all. Should i keep
> wearing them for health's sake? Will my feet eventually adapt to them and
> stop hurting?

Also experienced this (also flat footed) but the pain passed after a couple of
days - stick it out.

The great thing about Birkenstocks are the versatility. Good for walking long
distances in the city; light hiking in the countryside or getting your feet
wet at the beach.

------
jmathai
I've had many Birkenstocks but these have lasted me since 1998 (20 years!)
with just a single sole replacement.

The most comfortable shoes I've ever owned.

[https://www.zappos.com/p/birkenstock-memphis-dark-brown-
leat...](https://www.zappos.com/p/birkenstock-memphis-dark-brown-
leather/product/8565421/color/328?ef_id=Wc8pyQAAAdpDisf-:20180824033917:s)

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et-al
Birkenstock has an actual distinctive product.

I'm more curious about the efforts to revive/remarket Champion and Fila as the
streetwear brands they are today.

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olivermarks
I smell marketing repositioning and public relations relaunch. Good luck to
them though, I like what the brand stands for

~~~
oftenwrong
This seems like a "submarine" article:

[http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html)

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nemanjaboric
I have (and I wear them at the moment) a single pair, while my wife has
several pairs, so it might be we're biassed, but... here in Berlin, pretty
much you can see them everywhere. In public transport, stores, on a street, in
summer and in winter. They are _everywhere_, it's incredible.

~~~
renjimen
The same here in Denmark. During the hottest days of the summer I wouldn't be
exaggerating to say every other person was wearing them.

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panuma
I see Birkenstocks as orthopedic shoes that shouldn't be worn on a healthy
foot. Think what happens if you push a brick in an arch from below. Huaraches,
Luna sandals etc. are a better option healthwise, people run ultramarathons in
them and the design has thousands of years of history.

~~~
mikestew
I am apparently ergonomically blessed in that despite running up to ultra
marathon distances, I rarely get injured. Nothing unusual about my feet,
average size 10 foot with a normal arch, average pronation. I’ve worn Birkies
for thirty years without complaint.

And people will run ultras in/on anything. I would not be shocked to find out
someone ran Western States 100 (miles) in a pair of Birkies.

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tcbawo
It was interesting to read about industry in Gorlitz. It's a quaint town that
was divided between Poland (Zgorzelec) and Germany following World War II
along the river which became the border. I once visited there in the early
2000s. From what I recall, the bridge between them was destroyed in the
middle, with both ends left standing. After the fall of Communism, it was
converted to an art installation.

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wmeredith
Unlikely? It's fashion: it's cyclical.

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amelius
I prefer Teva, because of the sturdiness, longevity, and the relatively large
"bumper" area protecting the toes.

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idoescompooters
I saw a dude wearing them at the gym a few days ago. I didn't know what to
think.

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fosco
this article headline and article itself strongly reminded me of Paul Grahams
'submarine' [0] article

[0]
[http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html](http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html)

