Dior's Fall/Winter 2022 menswear show featured an unexpected guest: Birkenstock.
The humble clog got a high fashion makeover from Thibo Denis, the footwear maestro responsible for hits including Dior's B27 sneaker and monogrammed Moon Boot.
Now, Denis makes his mark on Birkenstock's Milano sandal and the rare Tokio mule, a closed-toe Birkenstock slingback with a buckled strap at the vamp that's basically a Boston for those on the go.
Reinforced with a rubber toe, the updated models arrive in several luxe fabrications, including gray felt and brown lambskin.
Recalling Raf Simons's bedazzled Fusion sneakers, a favorite during his tenure at Dior, Denis added delicate floral embroidery (done by hand!) to one iteration, reportedly inspired by an haute couture dress from Dior's 1957 collection.
Buckles by Matthew Williams, introduced to Dior's menswear lexicon by current creative director Kim Jones, are applied to the each of the sandals' cross-foot strap.
Finally, below the signature cork footbeds, the shoes' tonal outsoles are all embossed with Dior and Birkenstock co-branding that cleverly flows into itself.
Expect all of the collaborative Birkenstocks to basically sell themselves when they launch in mid-June 2022.
Despite the tentative comeback of high heels during fashion's Spring/Summer 2022 season, Dior x Birkenstock embraces comfy shoe supremacy, a phenomenon precipitated by the pandemic.
Over the past two years, high fashion's taste for the cork-soled mule hasn't faded. Dior joins a slew of luxury labels to partner with Birkenstock, including Proenza Schouler, Jil Sander, and Rick Owens.
So rejoice as you slip into something more comfortable — for the meantime, it appears clogs aren't going anywhere.
