Birkenstock announced the company has opened the company’s first company-owned retail store in the United States. The store is located at 120 Spring Street in the historic SoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan. Celebrating over 50 years of distribution in the U.S., the SoHo store gives the German brand a new home in the heart of New York, laying the ground work for the continued growth of Birkenstock in the U.S. market.
For the first time in the U.S., customers will be able to explore the growing range of products for women, men and kids including shoes, boots, socks, bags, belts and the new Birkenstock Natural Skin Care line. The store also features a special gallery of limited-edition styles from designer collaborations including Rick Owens and 10 Corso Como.
The New York landmark building at 120 Spring Street (located between Greene St. and Mercer St.) provides an appropriate backdrop to showcase this heritage brand with German shoemaking roots dating back to 1774.
The store also shows a new direction in retail design for Birkenstock that is bespoke to this historic location. The bright and naturally-comfortable store interior focuses on core materials including cork and leather and creates a relaxed atmosphere with its open atrium and second floor lounge area that will feature special projects and collaborations.
To celebrate the new store, Birkenstock has injected humor and artistry by commissioning NY-based creative director and artist Amit Greenberg, AKA This is Amit, @this.is.amit, who has collaborated in the past with a wide array of brands, including Colette, Ikea and Band of Outsiders, to create a campaign.
The campaign will feature a fun, light-hearted take on the brand and introduce a cast of puppet-like characters conceived and created by Amit that are “brought to life” from the artwork and their adventures across New York City in their Birkenstocks. The campaign will include a billboard and a social media campaign to document these fictional characters interacting all over the city in special limited-edition products.
As part of the opening, Birkenstock created a limited edition style sandal as well as a T-shirt with Amit’s especially created artworks. The shirt costs $40 and is sold exclusively in the store starting October 1.
The Arizona style has a half-exquisite footbed, and the upper is made out of breathable Birkoflor. The limited edition sandal of 100 pieces is offered exclusively in the New York Soho Store as well as online at a price of $200.
“It is an important part of our ambition to open our own retail stores in strategic locations and vibrant neighborhoods. New York is a key market for us. Thanks to the dedication of our retail partners in the U.S., our brand has been around here for decades,” said Oliver Reichert, CEO of Birkenstock. “The opening of our own retail store in New York is also a bow to one of the few remaining fashion capitals in the world that shapes global cultural and consumer trends. Being here will keep our brand vivid and will also create visibility for all the innovations in our collection towards a group of enlightened, highly influential consumers.”
The opening of the SoHo store marks the forty-seventh Birkenstock owned store globally and the first in the United States.
Photo courtesy Birkenstock
