Finally, Birkenstock Created a Truly German-Engineered Sandal
Birkenstock, the German sandal giant, still makes nearly all of its footwear by hand in domestic factories of its own operation. And eventhen, the new Birkenstock Kyoto Tradition sandals are probably the most German-engineered Birkenstock ever made.
Yes, the Birkenstock Kyoto Tradition is a truly special sandal, even among Birkenstock's existing luxury proposition. This goes beyond even Birkenstock's frequently reworked styles and recent footwear innovations.
Part of Birkenstock's ongoing 250th anniversary celebrations, the Kyoto Tradition is a super limited shoe made of a material symbolic of Birkenstock's German heritage, which can be traced back to the tiny village of Langen-Bergheim where company namesake Johannes Birkenstock lived in 1774.
Only 250 pairs of the Kyoto Tradition sandal will ever be made, partially because their construction is quite particular.
Instead of Birkenstock's typical suede or grain leather, these shoes wear deerskin leather sourced from Germany's last-remaining Altsämisch tannery, Kolesch, itself older than Birkenstock (founded in 1723!).
Altsämisch is a historic German technique of tanning leather using only water, fish oil, and salt. Most leather nowadays is tanned (or transformed from unusable hide to pliable textile) with chemicals or vegetable tannins, the former being cost-effective and the latter more time-consuming and typically quite fair in hue.
Altsämisch leather was most frequently utilized for traditional lederhosen, those funky leather short pants historically worn in German-speaking nations.
Here, it forms the Kyoto's easy-on strap, thickly stitched and embossed with a design that kinda looks like a tribal tattoo but is actually a vine (or similar floral detail — classic lederhosen stuff). Each shoe's strap is stamped with a unique serial number that denotes its entry in the 250-piece series.
Birkenstock promises more limited-edition designs that coincide with its 250th anniversary, which has thus far included a Nordstrom activation and not one but two hard-cover Birk books: the not-so catchily-titled BIRKENSTOCK: The Evolution of a Universal Purpose and Zeitgeist Brand and the far more snappy The Book of Birkenstock, which releases at year's end.
The Kyoto Tradition, meanwhile, releases in September on Birkenstock's premium 1774 website. Only true Birken-heads need apply. Not like there isn't an abundance of excellence for everyone else!
