Manolo Blahnik links up with Birkenstock for collab

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 15, 2022

Birkenstocks may be the ultimate anti-fashion footwear, but their popularity in recent years has attracted a number of big-name fashion collaborators (such as Dior and Jil Sander). And the latest is luxury shoe designer Manolo Blahnik.

Their day-to-night collab features the distinctive Birkenstock shape with the embellishment for which Blahnik is known, adding a glam edge to the ultra-functional footwear.

The German label’s Arizona slides and Boston clogs are the base products here, dressed up with the use of velvet in jewel tones, plus the crystal-embellished buckles that are a Blahnik trademark.

There are seven different styles in total, available starting March 24 with the blue or fuchsia velvet and black leather versions coming first. They’ll be sold at luxury level pricing (around £460) on both brands’ webstores and at Manolo Blahnik’s retail locations, with a second drop due in June. 

The collab comes after Blahnik — who says he’s been wearing Birkenstocks for years — featured in a 2020 campaign for the brand.

As mentioned, Birkenstock has been in high demand for collaborations in recent years — understandable given that Lyst reported searches for the Arizona sandal soared 225% during the pandemic. And CEO Oliver Reichert said it often turns down requests from brands to link up with it.