From the brand of hippy footwear aimed at personal well-being and hygiene, to the extremely fashionable lifestyle brand. Birkenstock has come a long way in the last decade. The turning point was in 2013 with Phoebe Philo from Céline, who transformed the iconic Arizona sandals into deluxe accessories. There was then the restyling of the collections and the start of several important collaborations, all the way up to present-day times with the Valentino menswear collection featuring the Arizona VLNT logo and the second capsule collection designed by Rick Owen (the first was for the SS18)… Between 2012 and 2016, the sales of Birkenstock more than tripled, arriving at 750 million euros. “At this rate, – comments Oliver Reichert – we count on reaching 1 billion euros within 2 years”. An ambitious goal, which is definitely achievable for the brand that has just relocated to its new headquarters in the heart of the Parisian luxury district, in rue St. Honoré.  An investment that shortly follows (October 2018) the one made in New York, with the opening of a flagship store in the middle of Soho’s shopping district.

Birkenstock sales are also supported by its internet site launched just three years ago and by the new 1774.com platform, where the special projects of the brand are presented with the promise of becoming lifestyle products, while extending the range of goods to include a bedding and cosmetics line.

Street, couture and architecture: Birkenstock in 2018 sold 25 million pairs of shoes and is increasingly considered a lifestyle brand.