Business | Selling your sole

Why young consumers love Birkenstocks

The ancient German sandal-maker goes public

Colourful sandals on display at a Birkenstock store.
BlingenstocksImage: Getty Images

IN THE BLOCKBUSTER “Barbie” film, the Birkenstock is more than a shoe. It is a symbol of the real world not run by girls. It is introduced as a deliberately drab antithesis of Barbie’s perfect stiletto. By the film’s end the titular blonde is wearing the cork sandal—with the hallmark double-strap in her signature pink—as she walks into her new life, no longer a doll but a woman ready to put her best foot forward.

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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Selling your sole”

From the October 14th 2023 edition

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