BIRKENSTORIES – go your own way
Clothes makes the man? Not exactly. Isn’t it rather the inner values that make a great character? That is why we are delighted that we were able to meet some extraordinary people in the past years – people who wear our shoes with passion and conviction and who thus became the protagonists of our BIRKENSTORIES.
But how did the BIRKENSTORIES come about?
In 2015, BIRKENSTOCK CEO Oliver Reichert had the idea to create portraits of authentic BIRKENSTOCK enthusiasts from around the world. So our team went on a mission to find them: men and women who wear our sandals while hiking through deserts, climbing mountains, going on adventures – or simply living their life. What we found were inspiring people with sound core values and clear convictions.
And soon we started making short documentaries about these unique individuals. These authentic portraits about famous or not so famous characters eventually got their own format – and this was the start of the BIRKENSTORIES. While searching for new protagonists for our BIRKENSTORIES we traveled around the world: to Maya, karate fighter from New York; to Thomas Südhof, Nobel Prize laureate from Stanford; to Shalene, fisherwoman from Alaska or to Romany, dancer at the famous Royal Opera in London. What all these people have in common? They love wearing BIRKENSTOCKS and they are passionate about what they do.
And: the BIRKENSTORIES are not sponsored commercials. One of the first things we say when we get in touch is: “You know you won’t get any money out of this, right?”. That is one of the reasons why there are sometimes 2 – 3 years between the first email and the final shoot.
CEO Oliver Reichert puts it in a nutshell: “The BIRKENSTORIES are like an intimate insight into our own core values. BIRKENSTOCK enthusiasts from around the world exemplify what is so important to us: a special attitude towards matters like health, quality and sustainability. Their stories reflect the DNA of our company and underline our conviction that everyone should go their own way, no matter the circumstances.”
In the meantime, the BIRKENSTORIES have received several awards – for example Silver during the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards in 2018 and the ADC award for creative excellence in 2019.
For BIRKENSTOCK, this is further proof that the company is on the right path – true to the motto “It’s not a shoe. It‘s you.”
New BIRKENSTORIES?
Do you know any extraordinary BIRKENSTOCK fans with interesting stories to tell? Contact us! mybirkenstory@birkenstory.com
