Take a stroll through any major metropolitan area and you’ll see them. Walk across campus and you’ll notice them, often in hordes. Even a venture out to the countryside would yield a sighting of two. Usually in shades of brown or black, with two or three straps and invariable simplicity, the prominence of the Birkenstock cannot be ignored. The world of fashion is an ephemeral one, where trends blaze like wildfire and one’s eye must always be trained on the next big thing. Against all odds, Birkenstock has persisted — even flourished — in an industry that quite literally phases out its Birkenstock sale inventory twice a year. But how did a shoe that was most famously associated with health food stores suddenly burst onto the cultural forefront? In 1774, Johann Birkenstock registered as a shoemaker in a small village in Hesse, Germany. He was quite skilled, and the family trade was established shortly after. Over 100 years later in 1896, Johann Birkenstock’s great-great grandson, would go on to found the company that is now synonymous with the shoe itself. The contoured insole was invented by Konrad Birkenstock and became an instant hit with soldiers for its exemplary orthopedic support. The company’s Birkenstock shoes sale shoes were first introduced to the United States in 1966, where they quickly spread across the West Coast and then the rest of the nation. The Birkenstock couldn’t have come to America at a better time: it nudged itself neatly in the Summer of Love and the ensuing hippie movements. It was at this time that Birkenstock gained its reputation as the official footwear of peace, love and everything organic. In fact, Birkenstocks were only sold at health food stores until 1986, when Nordstrom gained Birkenstock sandals sale distribution rights. Perhaps what put Birkenstock back into the nouvelle vogue was its inherent rejection of it to begin with. Visually, the shoes have been largely unchanged for decades, embracing simplicity over all else. There have been introductions of new models, of course, but the beauty of Birkenstock shoes is their birkenstock shoes mens resistance to change, or, as the fashion world likes to call them, trends.