Birkenstock's Cushy Workwear Clog Became Quietly Stylish
Birkenstock's Birki Air 2.0 clog sounds more like a Nike sneaker collab than a hard-wearing slip-on shoe for all-day wear but you can't judge books by their cover. Or clogs by their name.
Or, actually, maybe you should.
Here, Birkenstock has retooled its original Birki Air mule for the first time since its release in 1995, sliiightly reformatting the tough, easily cleanable shoe while retaining the detail that gives the Birki Air its name: little vents near its toebox.
Part of the Birkenstock Professional series of shoes designed for workers who need useful, comfortable footwear, the Birki Air 2.0 is made for labor but suitable for, well, everyone.
The Birki Air 2.0, available on Birkenstock's website for $100, has all the utility of the original Birki Air, a cousin of the Super-Birki clog that was the subject of a 032C collaboration and almost certainly inspired an Aimé Leon Dore shoe.
But now it's got... an adjustable heel strap!
Otherwise, little has changed. But that small touch is appreciated enough.
It adds a little je ne sais quoi to the coolly-uncool workwear clog and brings the Birki Air 2.0 into the stylish terrain of some of Birkenstock's other recently retooled clogs.
Otherwise, the technical specs are functionally identically: antistatic, scuff-resistant polyurethane upper, slip-fighting outsole, orthopedic footbed.
That the OG Birki was adopted for fashion purposes by the fashion provocateurs at 032C, though, is demonstrative of its far-reaching appeal.
Yes, it's a useful shoe but its utilitarian inclinations also makes it quite stylish by extension, an anti-fashion alternative to the conventionally classic Arizona sandal and Boston clog.
Speaking of its classics, Birkenstock has been on a real function-driven tear as of late, slinging a series of sandals that stray from convention but remain pleasantly good-looking.
Not that there's any ol'-fashioned sandal goodness missing from Camp Birkenstock — or consumers left wanting, as Birkenstock's roaring stock prices indicate.
But it is nice to see Birkenstock expanding its offering of inorganic footwear, demonstrating that its innate good taste extends to all aspects of its offerings.
