Birkenstock®
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
The Birkenstock Story
1774: In a small German village, Johann Adam Birkenstock is registered as “subject and shoemaker” in the church archives.
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.
1902: Konrad Birkenstock develops the first flexible arch support, to be inserted in the factory-made shoes that have become widely distributed in Germany.
1925: Carl Birkenstock joins the company. Birkenstock arch supports are now being exported to Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
1964: Carl Birkenstock’s son, Karl, takes his grandfather’s contoured arch support concept one step further — as a shoe. The Birkenstock sandal is born.
1997: Margot Fraser and Birkenstock USA receive several prestigious awards of recognition from the footwear industry. Awards included the Ernst and Young 1997 Retail Entrepreneur of the Year in Northern California (one of ten top businesses to receive this award); the Novato Chamber of Commerce 1997 Large Business of the Year; and induction into the Footwear News Hall of Fame in honor of extraordinary business practices, outstanding contributions to the Marin County community, and for dramatically influencing what Americans wear on their feet.
2002: In October 2002, Birkenstock USA announced that the company was 100 percent employee owned. Margot Fraser, the company founder, passed on the remaining shares of the business she founded more than 35 years earlier, to her successors – the employees who continue to help build the Birkenstock USA,company.
2003: Known as a comfort icon for the past three decades, Birkenstock’s famous Arizona two-strap sandal celebrates its 30-year anniversary in 2003. It’s unique shape pioneered the idea of form following function. Today, the Arizona is a steadfast old friend and a hip, on-trend style for the fashionable set.
2006: The company celebrates its 40th Anniversary in the U.S.
And still going strong in 2008.
Some of the greatest shoes the company carries consists of:
WOMEN’S LINE:
• Sandals
• Shoes
• Clogs
• Insoles
MEN’S LINE:
• Sandals
• Shoes
• Clogs
• Insoles
KID’S LINE:
