Neustadt (Wied), December 9, 2016 – Fire, earth, water, air – the presentation of the 2017/18 fall/winter collection by BIRKENSTOCK was a journey through the four basic elements. For the sixth time since the change at the helm of the traditional family company in early 2013, Germany’s largest shoe manufacturer invited its most important sales partners throughout the world to the official presentation of the collection. This time, the venue for the three-day sales conference was the company headquarters of BIRKENSTOCK. There, the approximately 160 guests from 40 countries heralded in the 2017/18 fall/winter order season with management and product presentations. The gala with a fashion show and captivating show acts served as a celebratory prelude to the event in the Cologne Palladium, which employees were also invited to.
When developing the 2017/2018 fall/winter collection, the creative heads of the shoe manufacturer were guided by a common vision: inspiration from the primitiveness of mother nature and the four elements. The interplay of fire, earth, water, and air, and the natural, high-quality raw materials that are typical for BIRKENSTOCK result in a quintessentially harmonious collection that emphasizes a lot of exciting, fashionable features and shows new facets of the global brand. The new models feature a harmonious mix of materials consisting of leather, fur, wool felt as well as functional high-tech materials.
As the fifth element and overarching theme this coming winter, BIRKENSTOCK will be focusing on the look and philosophy of the Inuit, the indigenous people of the Arctic, with their primitive, close-to-nature way of life: The people, who live in harmony with the elements, represent the conscious, sustainable interaction with nature and its raw materials – values that also determine the actions of BIRKENSTOCK and which are reflected in the products made by Germany’s largest shoe manufacturer.
The Inuit theme can be found throughout the product range in design details such as fur applications or embroidery on shoes, classics, closed-toe sandals, as well as kids products. In order to be able to offer price-conscious customers the Inuit look as well, Birko-Flor was used in the Classics and Kids collections. Here, among other things, a natural fur look was created using a two-tone cloud print processed with a specially developed embossing stamp. The product range was also significantly expanded in the Legwear and Accessories segment: For the first time, BIRKENSTOCK is also offering products for children in the 2017/18 fall/winter season.
At the Global Sales Conference, the Elements Collection became a tangible experience for the guests: A fashion show with fire-breathers, sandpainting, and aerial acrobatics kept the sales partners in suspense. The well-traveled guests were not only able to get to know the new models during the three-day event, but were also able to learn about accompanying marketing and communications activities. As in the previous seasons, BIRKENSTOCK continues to expand its sell-in and sell-out support for its sales partners – among other things, with high-quality shop window concepts coordinated with the ‘elements’ theme and optimized market-specific campaign management.
