The Beginning

 Generations of Birkenstock family members have been creating and crafting footwear from 1774 when Johann Birkenstock worked in a small German Village as a shoemaker.

In the 1890's Konrad Birkenstock (Johann's descendant) created a shoe that was curved to the true shape of the human foot. This was a big hit for awhile until years later cheap-factory made shoes were created slowing down the demand for a custom made footwear.

Konrad new that he a good idea so he created a flexible, contoured arch support that would be able to be inserted in factory made shoes. This would make the shoe even more comfortable.

For the next 50 years Konrad and his son Cari refined and improved the arch supports. Soon the popular arch supports were now called "footbed supports" and the word footbed became a Birkenstock trade mark.

A New Creation

In 1954 the business grew. Karl (Konrad's grandson) joined in and wanted to create a shoe that would allow the person wearing the shoes to feel as comfortable and health as walking barefoot. He took his skills at creating a shoe and placed his grandfathers flexible contoured arch supports inside for comfort.

Brought To America

In 1966, Margot Fraser who is from Santa Cruz, California was vacationing in Germany purchased her first pair of footbed sandals. To her discovery the sandals  alleviated her chronic foot pain that she had experience from the time she was a child. She brought this idea back home to California with and began to sell this shoe to friends and family. Margot is now the exclusive distributor for Birkenstock in the United States.

Birkenstock now offers more than 400 styles in sandals, clogs, and shoes. Birkenstock offers a varietyof materials, colors, and sizes. Each year Birkenstock comes up with ideas for new styles and colors but still maintains the same comfort that they started with.