Birkenstock News

You are what you feet

Class division in modern Britain is great enough for people to continue to be defined by their clothing and accessories, with footwear a principal identity factor, according to the Guardian.

Describing products which held a popular enough appeal for the class divide to be breached and the middle classes to embrace the style as their own, Birkenstock's were highlighted as a key example.

The European brand's simple and unpretentious style has made it a hit with the everyman and also with celebrities, which the Guardian claimed set its sales soaring.

Leading to queues all around a shoe shop in Covent Garden, the brand's sandals were reported to have broken out of their class bracket after Gwyneth Paltrow was spotted in a pair.

"Less than 12 months later, sales of Birkenstocks were up by 500 per cent, and to this day every high-street chain is still hawking its own imitation, hoping to mop up the gap between supply and demand," said the Guardian.

The Independent agreed about the definition-busting nature of Birkentocks, claiming that what started out as exercise sandals became "fashion items that have been widely adopted by the stylish and glamorous".

Sandals and other footwear from the trend-setting brand can be found here at Fitness Footwear.

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