"It happens every several years," says David Kahan, CEO of Birkenstock USA, the American division of the German company. "The planets line up and Birkenstocks become fashionable again."
Perhaps because Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn are all currently in retrograde, we're currently experiencing one of these auspicious periods right now.
Almost against their will, fashion magazines are admitting that Birkenstocks are having a moment. In May, Vogue published a story featuring a paparazzi shot of Ashley Olson in a pair of Birkenstock Gizeh sandals and described the brand as "patient zero of the current ugly shoe movement." (Several members of Vogue's staff chimed in saying they "remain unapologetic" about their loyalty to Birkenstocks.)
Image: Flickr user Freedom II Andres
