Extra-Beautiful Bauhaus Birkenstocks (EXCLUSIVE)
The Birkenstock 1774 Becomes Berlin collection is, as it sounds, inspired by Germany's capital city where Highsnobiety is also based. There, a century ago, a brief golden age of creative freedom flourished between world wars.
This Birkenstock collection is shaped by the golden, if complicated, days of the Weimar Republic, when Berlin was a hub of artistic finesse.
There's something to be said about this moment's crystalline delicacy, choice elements of which Birkenstock distills into quite luxe iterations of its signature sandals.
These are art-deco Birkenstocks, easy clogs that could've costumed the crowds in Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Well, maybe not. But they have the right attitude.
The difference is in how Birkenstock brings these century-old reference to heel through 1774's understated luxury.
From Berlin's brush with art deco come the indulgent velvets of night-out upholstery and embellished buckles aligned with the era's architectural flourishes — those vivacious curves atop the Chrysler Building came from somewhere, after all.
And with the classy Birkenstock Arizona all dressed for a night out, contrast piping and monochrome suede make the London clog and Florida sandal look like they're born of snapshots taken last century, rippling with film grain and framed like a portrait. These are the Bauhaus Birkenstocks, practically worthy of Walter Gropius in their restrained elegance.
Even the Birkenstock Maria, a historic Mary Jane-style mule, is reborn through texture and form. Here, elegance is lain bare by a plush suede upper and the 1774 line's signature thick leather sole: no frills, just a darn nice shoe.
Available on Birkenstock 1774's website, the Birkenstock 1774 Becomes Berlin collection is, on one hand, a callback to a flash of freedom snuffed out far before its time. On the other, these are simply suave sandals made as beautifully as any Birkenstock has ever been made.
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