After a foot sweat-inducing four-year reign, Ugg boots have finally been usurped as fashion's favorite ugly shoe. In their place, a new contender is quickly converting celebrities like Zendaya, Katie Holmes, Gigi Hadid, and Kaia Gerber into avid fans. Allow me to reintroduce you to Birkenstock: the humble cork-soled German clog and sandal company quietly gunning for a place in your heart and your closet.
Whereas Ugg's trendy platform styles and shearling-lined slippers enjoyed an instantaneous boom during and after the pandemic—a period that led many to prioritize comfort wherever possible—Birkenstock's climb to It-shoe status has been more of a slow burn. Gradually stoked by lucrative collaborations with the likes of Manolo Blahnik, Jil Sander, Proenza Schouler, Rick Owens, Staud, and Tekla, the brand now seems ready to claim its rightful place on the ugly shoe throne.
