From eco-sandals to fashion statement

How health shoes entered the fashion world

Good things, as we all know, come to those who wait. And so it was with the success of the anatomical health shoes that NaturalLook has been selling since the company was founded back in 1974:

just a few years later, in the mid-1980s, the South Tyrolean market celebrated its first Birkenstock fans thanks to the specialist shoe shop Pediform. Especially in the main city of Bozen, people – even the Italian residents – waxed enthusiastic about these sandals. And, even if many buyers only wore them between their own four walls, this first step was already becoming a trend. In the rest of fashion-conscious Italy, however, the breakthrough was still a long way off.

A wonderful feeling of well-being

For many Birkenstock customers, the ergonomic footbed and resulting feeling of well-being were initially decisive when making a purchase. They could relieve or avoid health complaints altogether, even if it meant that utility trumped aesthetics.

This is no longer the case, however: many health shoes pick up on current trends, especially since NaturalLook began to lobby Birkenstock in this regard. In the early 1990s, these efforts bore fruit – not least because the fashion industry suddenly became interested in health shoes. Starting in the USA, these comfort shoes – until then derided as “eco-slippers” – gained fashion status through new, colourful collections, with Birkenstock in particular combining with high-end brands such as Gucci, Prada and others. In Italy itself, in 1992 the Fendi fashion label sent its models onto the catwalk wearing Birkenstock sandals. Sales increased once more and, two years later, a new peak in sales was reached.

In 2007 no fewer than 366,355 pairs were sold in Italy, once mocked as “sandals that would never sell in Italy”. And today? In 2021 the number of health shoes sold was higher still for brands such as Birkenstock, Finn Comfort, Haflinger and Loints of Holland.

Trends vs. personality

Birkenstocks are now available in all colours, with patterns, glitter and even the modish metallic look – for many wearers they are as much a part of their personal wardrobe as their jeans or little black number. NaturalLook is not concerned that trends are fleeting, however: “Birkenstock is an honest product and comfort is its main selling point”, says NaturalLook’s sales manager Roland Nicolussi.

For health shoe buyers, authenticity and naturalness as a whole play a significant role, according to a survey conducted by the international research institute Sinus Sociovisions: irrespective of their social or personal status, and regardless of social class, participants stated that values such as humanity, tolerance, social justice, environmental protection and peace were important to them. A large majority of respondents also gave travel and fashion as personal interests, rated self-fulfilment and harmony as important life goals, and stated that they preferred authentic, natural, high-quality products.

For them, health sandals thus embody all of the following: a love for nature and quality, well-being and health, and the courage to show character.

Come as you are!

Birkenstocks and similar are no longer just for wearing at home, or for caregivers and old hippies: young and old, fashionistas and nature enthusiasts alike all love these comfortable sandals. Men wear them with rolled-up trousers or Bermuda shorts and a loose summer shirt, while women combine them with an airy summer dress or jeans – in bright pink, delicate rosé or an eye-catching leopard print.

Fashion is no longer simply an expression of current trends, but rather of our own personalities, meaning that there are no longer any (fashionable) limits to your own taste – or your own sense of well-being.

Source:

“Birkenstock – a success story”