Traditions are coming together in a unique collection in a pop-up store at Berlin’s famed department store KaDeWe. The launch of the BIRKENSTOCK x KPM Limited Collection is the result of a collaboration between two renowned German companies that have been manufacturing products of the highest quality in Germany since 1774 and 1763 (KPM).
What brings the two brands together is their passion for high-quality materials and timeless aesthetic: BIRKENSTOCK stands for quality, function and comfort in a truly comprehensive sense. BIRKENSTOCK was already using the term “footbed” in the 1930s, giving it the meaning which is commonly understood by consumers all over the world to this day – as a synonym for outstanding comfort when walking and standing. KPM Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin is one of the oldest manufacturers in Europe. For over 250 years, the Berlin manufacturer has been creating exclusive porcelain in intricately detailed handiwork.
The BIRKENSTOCK x KPM Limited Collection combines the iconic products of the two companies. The collection comprises two models in two versions, each available in a limited run of 300 for € 280.00 (MSRP). They are inspired by the legendary Kurland Royal Noir collection by KPM Berlin.
The project will be presented exclusively at KaDeWe in Berlin, one of the world’s most renowned department stores, together with VOGUE Germany from May 22 to June 9. Looks put together especially for this collaboration by VOGUE’s editor-in-chief, Christiane Arp, make this presentation complete.
“Two German companies, steeped in tradition and famed for quality, have come together in one product. Our creative teams have brought together the sustainable luxury of KPM with Birkenstock in a way that will please the wearer in daily use with its functional form,” said CMO Yvonne Piu.
An exclusive launch event will be held on Thursday, May 24, in KaDeWe together with VOGUE. This will be followed by a private dinner in the manufacturing spaces of KPM Berlin.
At the same time, the Limited Collection will be available online at <link http: www.birkenstock.com internal link in current>www.birkenstock.com.
The two BIRKENSTOCK x KPM Noir styles wrap the classic BIRKENSTOCK models Arizona and Gizeh in a sumptuous black. Both models are made of the finest leather, embossed with the iconic Kurland motif, and titled “KPM Noir.” The footbed is made of high-quality Portuguese cork. A porcelain bead set in a fine metal mount adorns the buckle of the Arizona sandal and the leather of the Gizeh model. The bead, hand-made of the finest white porcelain, is embellished with the KPM scepter. The porcelain mix of the bead was twice-fired to create the hardest porcelain in the world.
KURLAND ROYAL NOIR
KPM Kurland Royal Noir, the porcelain with black and gold decoration. Kurland Royal Noir is the second porcelain collection developed in honor of the 250-year anniversary of KPM Berlin. It is based on the Kurland white collection, which was commissioned around 1790 by Peter Biron, Duke of Kurland (1724-1800), and later named Kurland in his honor. In the anniversary series Kurland Royal Noir, the relief that is white in the original is decorated in black and gold. The grandiose use of the black color is based on statements made by two famous individuals. The dark tone had fascinated the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who said “I’ve been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors was black,” as well as the fashion designer Coco Chanel, who declared that “black wipes out everything else.”
