BIRKENSTOCK EVA collection impressed the 38 judges in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015. By reinterpreting three classic designs – Madrid, Gizeh, and Arizona – BIRKENSTOCK, a traditional German company, demonstrated its design excellence in the most important product design awards of them all, which this year are celebrating their 60th anniversary. Expert judges from all over the world discussed and evaluated every single one of the 4,928 submissions from 56 different countries, only bestowing awards on those designs that demonstrated quality and innovative strength.

Having won over the judges, BIRKENSTOCK was a worthy recipient of the highly coveted Red Dot seal of approval. The Red Dot Awards are seen as the ultimate accolade for high-quality design – in all countries and across all sectors. And the Red Dot judges only honor those products that clearly stand out from comparable models on account of their outstanding design.

The newly designed and developed EVA sandals are reproductions of the most popular BIRKENSTOCK models. Alongside the styles acclaimed by Red Dot, the new EVA product range also includes the Rio model for kinds. All EVA styles have one thing in common: they each interpret the original models on which they’re based in a new and minimalist ­visual language centered on two signature BIRKENSTOCK features: the anatomically shaped footbed with toe grip and the bone-pattern profile in the outer sole. BIRKENSTOCK is not only the inventor of the footbed, but also coined the term “footbed”.

BIRKENSTOCK has never previously used the material from which the sandals are made. EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) is an ultra light, sturdy, and completely odor-neutral synthetic material. It is pleasantly soft and exceptionally elastic – and yet still extremely hard-wearing. As a result, the EVA sandals are ideal for wellness-related and outdoor use (sauna, beaches, seaside).

Entry into a New Product Segment

The decision to move in a new direction in terms of the choice of material came after careful consideration, as BIRKENSTOCK CEO Oliver Reichert explains: “Our aim is to enable every person on the planet to benefit from a healthy, comfortable, and affordable footbed”, says Reichert. “With the EVA products, we are entering a price segment that’s new to us, thus reaching additional target groups and sales markets.” At the same time, he makes it quite clear that entry into this new product segment does not mark a departure from the current ethos. “Everything we have done for the past 240 years has followed the same principles – with quality and functionality coming first. And the EVA range is no exception”, points out Oliver Reichert.

It’s not just the material that’s new, but the manufacturing process too. While the originals were made largely by hand, the new EVA models are produced using predominantly automated processes – and are manufactured using a technique called extrusion. This involves the sandals being passed through an extruder in a single “round”. Having been left to cool, they are then subjected to a quality inspection, after which the buckles are applied by hand.

Made in Germany

As with all BIRKENSTOCK sandals, the new models are manufactured exclusively in the company’s own production sites in Germany. In order to be able to keep pace with high demand, the shoe manufacturer invested an eight-figure sum in new production facilities – a decision that has paid off, as BIRKENSTOCK CEO Markus Bensberg confirms: “The EVA sandals are developing into a real hit and are considered fashion items in Asia, ­Latin America, and the US. They are particularly popular among the younger, more fashion-conscious target group. We see the award given to us by Red Dot as further evidence of the fact that the EVA range has struck a chord with our customers.”

Professor Dr. Peter Zec, Initiator and CEO of the Red Dot Awards: “For each of the past 60 years, the most renowned design experts have been coming together in Essen to honor the best designs. With almost 5,000 products, this year saw a record number of ­entries. This meant a huge amount of work for our judges, whose job it was to evaluate every single product. And as the level of the submissions was so high, the awards themselves are exceptionally prestigious. The winners of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015 have set a phenomenally high standard and are therefore thoroughly deserving of their triumph in the world’s largest design competition.”

On June 29, 2015, the internationally renowned contest will culminate in the celebratory Red Dot Gala in Essen. Held in the city’s Aalto Theater, this glamorous awards ceremony with more than 1,200 guests will be hosted by Professor Dr. Peter Zec. At the “Designers’ Night” aftershow party held at the Red Dot Design Museum, all the winners will celebrate into the early hours, surrounded by award-winning products. The winning products will be showcased for a four-week period as part of the Design on Stage exhibition before becoming part of the museum’s permanent exhibition.

Red Dot Design Museum: Essen

With some 2,000 exhibits spanning more than 4,000 square meters, the Red Dot Design Museum is home to the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary design. The winning entries in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015 will be on display from June 29 to July 26, 2015, as part of a ­spectacular special exhibition in this historic industrial building and UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Design on Stage, visitors can experience the current gold standard designs at close quarters, as touching and testing the products is very much welcomed at this interactive exhibition. As a result, design enthusiasts can find out more about the current trends in product design and see and feel the high quality of BIRKENSTOCK products for themselves.

About the Red Dot Award

In order to do justice to the variety on offer in the field of design, the Red Dot Design Award is divided into three disciplines – Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design, and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. The Red Dot Award was launched by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and, with around 17,000 entries a year, is one of the world’s most prestigious design contests. 2015 sees it celebrate its 60th anniversary. Back in 1955, the contest’s first judging panel met in order to select the best designs of the day. The highly sought-after Red Dot Award is the internationally acclaimed seal of approval for outstanding design quality. Renowned designers, manufacturers, and agencies use the Red Dot winners’ label and benefit from a host of other winners’ privileges, such as the right to present the winning products on Red Dot Online, in the Red Dot Design Yearbook, on the Red Dot App, and on Red Dot 21. Furthermore, the winning products are featured in Red Dot’s global PR materials and exhibited for a year at the Red Dot Design Museum: Essen.