Birkenstock had a stellar year in 2020. Its Arizona sandal, a two-strap style that comes in a multitude of variations (including several with cosy shearling insoles), was one of the year’s hottest products, selling like hot-cakes as one and all needed something comfortingly sturdy in which to schlep around the park/shuffle around the house. But in an unexpected plot twist, what appears on first glance to be its latest sandal costs the eye-watering sum of £55,000. Come again?
The price tag is because its straps are made from handbag leather. See where this is going? That’s right, they’re constructed out of meticulously deconstructed Birkins, Hermès most famous and exclusive handbag. Just to be clear, neither Hermès nor Birkenstock have anything to do with this particular lovechild/collab, which has already found its way into the wardrobe of Kylie Jenner. Posting on Stories, Jenner is the happy recipient of the black version.
Let's get one thing straight. The sandal is actually the work of MSCHF, the Brooklyn-based disruptors whose tongue-in-cheek content ranges from merch to recipes to URLs (yes, really, it’s holding the domain names of future presidents ransom) - and, according to_The New York Times_, will cost between $34,000 and $76,000 while stocks last. Which won’t be long, as they only purchased four bags from resale sites to begin with.
‘We know some people are going to react with, ‘What is wrong with you people?’” Daniel Greenberg, MSCHF’s head of strategy, told The New York Times. “But we’re OK being hated. We just don’t want apathy.’
Birkenstock has done some pretty upscale partnerships, including its cult collab with Proenza Schouler, and a collection with Il Pelicano, the mega-exclusive resort in Tuscany. It’s even been spotted on the red carpet (Frances McDormand wore her canary yellow pair to 2019’s Oscars). But no shoe, thus far, has come with a price tag that could rival a housing deposit - or an actual Birkin, for that matter. As a firm devotee of heels in the skyscraper height bracket, they're the perfect entry to point to a more down-to-earth (kinda) footwear for Jenner.
SEE: The Most Memorable Handbags Of All Time
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1 of 11The Hermès Birkin
Its first iteration was a sketch on an airplane after a chance encounter between Hermès' Jean-Louis Dumas and Jane Birkin, who, bemoaning the fact that it wasn't easy to find a suitable bag, ended up giving her name to the most famous one ever created.
2 of 11The Mulberry Alexa
For most millennials, Mulberry's Alexa - a bag that was inspired by its namesake, Alexa Chung, and her penchant for men's briefcases - was their first introduction to the idea of the It bag. Fast-forward 12 years and Chung, who now helms her own eponymous label, has just designed a collection for Mulberry.
3 of 11The Chanel 2.55
Kate Moss's faux-fur gilet and floppy hat can stay in the mid-noughties, but the quilted receptacle, Chanel's 2.55, belongs in the timeless handbag hall of fame.
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4 of 11The Dior Saddle
Designed by John Galliano, Dior's Saddle made its debut in 1999. Its particular brand of logoed excellence found fans in Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Maria Grazia Chiuri resurrected the bag a few years ago, and you'll now see Adwoa Aboah, Jennifer Lawrence and Kylie Jenner carrying it.
5 of 11The Céline Phantom
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley now worships at the altar of Bottega Veneta, but back in 2012, her heart belonged to the Céline Phantom.
6 of 11The Loewe Puzzle
Jonathan Anderson has churned out handbag hit after hit at Loewe, the heritage leather house based in Spain, but his most-beloved is the Puzzle.
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7 of 11The Gucci Dionysus
When Alessandro Michele waved his maximalist wand over the handbag stable at Gucci, the fashion pack went wild. The Dionysus, a logoed bag complete with chunky chain and clasp, is one of his biggest hits.
8 of 11The Mansur Gavriel Bucket
Mansur Gavriel's paved the way for an it bag that, whisper it, was actually affordable. Sienna Miller became its most famous repeat-wearer, toting its ruby red bucket for the entirety of 2017.
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9 of 11The Bottega Veneta Cassette
Bottega Veneta's creative director, Daniel Lee, has won every fashion award going for his accessories. The Cassette, a padded bag that has modernised the brand's famous way with woven leather, is one of his most popular.
10 of 11The Fendi Baguette
Carrie Bradshaw had several adventures involving Fendi's Baguette. Who could forget her correcting a mugger with the line, 'It's a Bag-uette'? Or when she went rooting through a man's trunk for fake versions in the Valley? The very same one she lost in SATC, and resurrected in And Just Like That, was in the V&A's exhibition.
11 of 11The Dior Lady Dior
The Lady Dior, which was rebranded in homage to Princess Diana, is the chic top handle to end all chic top handles, right Rihanna?