Johann Adam Birkenstock, born in 1754, went to work as a young shoemaker in the small Hessian town of Langen-Bergheim.

Unbeknownst to him, he was at the cradle of a world-renowned shoe brand. In the meantime, the production of shoes was passed on to the next generations. About 120 years later, Johann Adam Birkenstock's great-grandson, Konrad Birkenstock, opens his first two shoe stores in Frankfurt. Konrad Birkenstock then starts developing and selling insoles with a flexible footbed.

It is therefore in 1896 that the first preformed insole was created. Due to its increasing success, Konrad Birkenstock expanded the company in 1925 by purchasing a large factory in Friedberg, Hesse.

Due to the ever-growing customer base, production had to work with day and night shifts. The so-called blue footbed is a large part of the product (ie) range. After the Second World War (1939-1945), the Birkenstock sandal was especially popular with returning soldiers because of its orthopaedic support.

Fast forward to 1963. The torch was meanwhile passed on to Carl Birkenstock. 1963 is the birth year of a revolutionary idea. Carl Birkenstock develops his first sports slipper with a flexible footbed.

This slipper was called Madrid. The Madrid slipper quickly became popular, especially among gymnasts. Originally, the Madrid slipper was therefore sometimes called the gymnastics slipper. In doing so, he lays the foundation for the current comfort shoe sector. 

In doing so, he lays the foundation for the current comfort shoe sector. In 2013, the tradition company broke away from the family alliance. 

Birkenstock is now a group of companies. For the first time, the group's management is in the hands of a management team that does not consist of family members: Markus Bensberg and Oliver Reichert jointly lead the Birkenstock Group's activities. The first product extension is a fact. The focus is on three overarching themes that fit perfectly with the core of the brand:Healthy sleeping & living: concerns socks & slippers Healthy working world: concerns mules & clogs for professional use Healthy feet: concerns foot care New in 2018 is the Vegan collection without animal materials. These slippers do not contain chrome and consist exclusively of durable products such as EVA, microfibre & cork. Birkenstock was rewarded in 2018 and received peta's Libby Award for being the most animal-friendly

https://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/?s=birkenstock