complete your exploration of feet

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.

FEET ARE MUCH MORE COMPLEX THAN WE THINK.

Hardly anyone spends more time thinking about how to create products that keep your feet healthy than Cansu Elman. Meet BIRKENSTOCK’s Head of Innovation & Orthopedics and find out how we should walk, why healthy shoes look the way they do, and how foot health is integral to BIRKENSTOCK’s DNA.

BIRKENSTOCK’s history can be traced back to 1774, when for the first time a family member of the shoemaker dynasty gets mentioned in official records for the first time. Something that has never changed over the centuries: our commitment to quality, craftsmanship and the passion for providing footwear that helps people keep their feet healthy.