Birkenstock shoes in hospitals, on runways and in 'Barbie'

Birkenstock has seen increases in the popularity of its brand over the years, with its various shoe styles appearing in places ranging from hospitals and fashion runways to the "Barbie" movie.

The company, which has said its family shoemaking traditions go as far back as the 1770s, has what it called five "core silhouettes" that include the Madrid, Arizona, Boston, Gizeh and Mayari. Its total number of designs amounts to over 700, according to a recent IPO-related SEC filing from Birkenstock. 

During fiscal 2022, the comfortable sandal maker sold some 30 million units, the company reported in that filing. 

Birkenstock wearers come from "all aspects of society, including doctors, adventurers, professional athletes, families and models on the runways of Paris Fashion Week," the company said. 

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Its website showed multiple designs geared toward healthcare workers, with closed toes in the front and materials that are easily disinfected, its website showed. 

Birkenstock has also appeared more and more in fashion. 

It had an event of its own involving 40 models during Paris Men’s Fashion Week roughly six years ago, showcasing its spring/summer collection, according to a press release from the time.

Models donned Birkenstocks designed in collaboration with Valentino while walking on the runway in January 2019. Birkenstock Tokio and Milano shoes got Dior influences for a runway show in 2022 as well.

The sandal maker has teamed up with other fashion companies in the past, according to reports.

In the summer, a light pink pair of Arizona sandals, arguably the best known of Birkenstock’s designs, made a brief appearance in the Greta Gerwig-direct "Barbie" film. They did so on Margo Robbie’s feet on screen at one point as she portrayed the titular character. 

That movie, which came out in July, has brought in an eye-popping $1.4 billion worth of gross ticket sales around the world, according to Box Office Mojo.

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Another style of Birkenstock, the Boston, has been garnering attention recently, particularly on social media. The clog-like design made its debut in 1976, according to Birkenstock.

Adobe Analytics, while recently projecting 2023 online holiday sales totalling $221.8 billion, identified Birkenstock Bostons as an expected "top seller" along with iPhone 15 models, Roombas, Lego Minifigures and a slew of other products. 

In an SEC filing, Birkenstock said various groups had taken a liking to its shoes in the past, including "hippies" in the 60s and 70s and environmental activists in the 80s. It saw an increasing number of women take to the shoes "to free themselves from long-standing fashion norms that required wearing painful high heels and other constricting footwear" starting in the 90s as well, according to the form. 

They have also appealed to some in tech, with Apple cofounder Steve Jobs using a pair in the 70s and 80s that eventually made their way to the auction block. Those Birkenstock Arizonas were bought for over $218,000 in November 2022, Julien’s Auctions said at the time. 

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Birkenstock’s customer base by sales was made up of 31% millennials, 30% Baby Boomers, 27% Generation X and 12% Generation Z in fiscal 2022, according to the company.

The sandal maker is pursuing an IPO that reports suggested could happen this week. It wants to use the "BIRK" symbol for its shares, which it said would be offered in the $44-49 range initially on the New York Stock Exchange.