Sole Food is a weekly series built on sneaker editor Morgan Smith's takes on the biggest topics in sneaker culture.

The year is 2026, and almost every shoe looks like a Birkenstock. The 250-year-old brand itself thriving so hard that even sneaker brands are also pushing their own Birkenstock-style shoes. And the thing is, they all look pretty darn good. 

Granted, brands have put out Birkenstock-like shoes aplenty since the brand’s post-COVID-19 renaissance. Demna’s Spring 2024 Balenciaga collection included the Sunday Mule, which largely resembled Birkenstock’s Boston clogs but with Vibram FiveFingers-level toe energy. Folks called them the “Balenci-stocks” — fitting.

Now, we’re seeing the Birkenstock-ification of the sneaker space, and the results are pretty great. Reebok debuted its now-viral Classic Mule, adidas dropped an Adimule, and Vans has its own Harbor Mule VR3. Many of these started as region-exclusive models, available only at overseas stores, which drove up international demand ahead of these Birkenstock-coded shoes going global.

These efforts stick to the classic “Birks” formula, with soft suede uppers and suede-wrapped cork footbeds. But though they may be Birkenstock-coded in design, small details keep the efforts “on-brand.” (They copied the homework but changed some answers.) For instance, Vans’ Harbor Mule features the same cushioning found in its skate shoes while Reebok’s Classic Mules features a layered logo-inspired upper. Basically, it’s like a Classic Leather or Club C 85 for the wider “mule-ment.”

Birkenstock has been around for two centuries now, and it’s still making great products. The collaborations still hit, and, according to StockX, it's a reseller’s favorite non-sneaker brand. Not to mention, it has successfully expanded into new categories such as bridal-wear and balletcore. Birkenstock’s not at risk of losing its clog crown. In fact, even as sneaker brands move into its terrain, Birkenstock is infiltrating their domain.

Birkenstock already made the case to trade sneakers for Bostons, but now it's turning out increasingly solid iterations of its own lace-up sneakers and non-sandal shoes. You can even find solid Birken-boots alongside high-end Birken-sneakers envisioned by Louis Vuitton's footwear designer.

It's a great era for Birkenstock. It just so happens to be going down at the same time as a great era for Birken-style shoes.

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