Great distinction for the global lifestyle brand: Footwear News recognized the traditional company’s outstanding merits with the prestigious prize for the third time in just a few years. BIRKENSTOCK had already been selected Brand of the Year in the footwear industry in 2013 and 2017.
At this year’s award ceremony on the 8th of December, which took place virtually for the first time, the leading American trade magazine acknowledged the international top position of the quality brand in 2020: BIRKENSTOCK once again found itself at the forefront of the marketplace – and the center of the zeitgeist, becoming the „official home-office shoe“. In the second quarter of this year, the brand’s Arizona sandal was the most-searched shoe in the world as fashion search engine Lyst revealed.
Despite a boost from numerous A-list celebrity fans, who posted photos of themselves wearing the sandal during lockdowns, the brand is much more than a trend but above all represents a powerful shift towards comfort fashion, according to Footwear News. The award for the brand of the year was presented by Hollywood actor Jason Momoa, who has already been a loyal member of the BIRKENSTOCK community since his teenage years. His favourite sandals with the famous orthopedic footbed have accompanied him ever after, in everyday life and all over the world.
“The number of BIRKENSTOCK fans has increased globally amid these unprecedented times. Our products stand for functionality, quality, reliability – and this is what people turn to in particular if things get uncertain. This award serves as a great reminder to concentrate on our core values, which really capture the spirit of our time”, said Oliver Reichert, CEO BIRKENSTOCK Group.
“We are thrilled to be recognised as Brand of the Year by Footwear News, and we share this award with all our valuable retail partners and our millions of brand fans around the world”, added David Kahan, CEO of BIRKENSTOCK Americas.
In fact, the Arizona sandal hasn’t been the only global top seller of the company in 2020 as more people work from home: Its Boston clog was also ranked on the second place of the most desired men’s products in the third quarter of the year according to the latest Lyst survey. The Lyst Index analyses more than eight million fashion items by volume of social media mentions, searches, page views, interactions and sales across thousands of online stores, over a three-month period.
BIRKENSTOCK is a global lifestyle brand with a heritage in iconic footwear, rooted in the creation of the BIRKENSTOCK footbed. The brand that can be traced as far back as 1774 is guided by the notion of quality and function in all its actions and across categories. The concept of all-round wellbeing is developed into footwear, sleeping systems and Natural Cosmetics, increasingly translating the lifestyle vision of the brand heritage. With more than 4,300 employees worldwide, this traditional, sixth-generation family-run business is also one of the German footwear industry’s biggest employers. BIRKENSTOCK was already using the term “footbed” in the 1910s, giving it the meaning, which is commonly understood by consumers all over the world to this day – as a synonym for outstanding comfort when walking and standing. By the early 1970s, BIRKENSTOCK had become a global player. Manufactured in Germany, the sandals are now sold in more than 100 countries on all continents. BIRKENSTOCK also has a growing range of closed shoes, children’s shoes, and occupational footwear, as well as specialist products for orthopedic retailers, socks, bags, and belts. In 2017, BIRKENSTOCK added sleep systems and natural cosmetics (BIRKENSTOCK NATURAL SKIN CARE) to its portfolio of products. BIRKENSTOCK has 16 sites in Germany, in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Bavaria, and Saxony. The long-standing family-owned enterprise also operates its own sales offices in the United States and Canada as well as in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Dubai and India.
Logo Group, Product and Award