Birkenstock "Ugly for a Reason"

Birkenstock has gotten a rap for having “ugly” shoes. I’m not sure I personally agree, as a brand lover, but I can see how the highly functional design wouldn’t necessarily make fashion’s “best dressed” lists very often.

The brand is taking that reputation head on (or should I say “feet on”) with a new documentary series about the evolution of feet and feet’s tie to health. To quote the brand:

“Throughout the over two century long, rich history of shoemaking, BIRKENSTOCK has always championed the health of the human foot: with shoes that enable everybody to walk in a way that is as close as possible to how nature intended us to. Now, together with the New York Times, we have embarked on a journalistic investigation into the foot. The three-part documentary series UGLY FOR A REASON explores the relevance of foot health and reveals why healthy shoes look exactly the way they do.”

You can get more info and watch a short recap by clicking here.

I love that the brand is owning its own reputation and embracing perhaps some of its fashion critics with real foundational information and a positioning towards overall health. Own it to win it!

What’s your experience? JIM

P.S. … the brand also has some amazing fashion-forward designs that it has done i collaboration with Valentino and KITH, to name a couple. Not ugly at all IMHO.