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Why has the Birkestock sandals bought?

Bernard Arnault shows an insatiable appetite.It doesn't matter if they are jewels like sandals.Refining and comfort are no longer incompatible.The owner of the LVMH (Louis Vuitton) group has added the German brand Birkestock, anatomical sandals icon to his vast empire.

Some do not hide their perplexity.Can the great French luxury mix with the Teutone informality, no matter how much Made in Germany quality?"It is an alliance likely to hurt certain aesthetic sensibilities, but attests to the undeniable potential of Francoa German cooperation," said Le Monde."At first glance it looks like a wedding between the tent and the rabbit (French expression for the strange couples)," said the Croix Catholic newspaper.According to Libération, the alliance is "a tectonic shock" that reflects how the Covid pandemic and the teleworking boom have driven comfort because many people must work at home."Luxury, calm...and Birkestock, ”joked the economic newspaper..

Increase

The German manufacturer hopes to enter with great force in the Asian markets

The operation, still pending the approval of the antitrust authorities, is not a bagatola.It is estimated that LVMH has paid 4.000 million euros to take control of a company, founded in 1774 - before the French Revolution and the unification of Germany as a state - which invoice more than 700 million euros a year and achieves substantial benefits benefits.

The purchase has been made by the Franco -American Investment Fund L Catterton, co -founded by LVMH, and the Financial AGache, the Arnault family holding.Alexander and Christian Birkestock, current heirs of the saga, will maintain a minority participation in capital.

When it is in the orbit of Louis Vuitton and the other luxury brands of LVMH, the German sandals manufacturer hopes to enter with great force in the markets of Asia - in Chinese special - and of the Middle East.That is one of the strategic objectives.

Birkestock continues to have its headquarters where he was born, in the Land of Renania-Palatinado.Almost all of its production is done in Germany.The most important factory today is located in Görlitz, in the east of the country, next to the Polish border.Its global template is about 3.000 people.

Iconic product

The ‘Birks’ invented the “Bed for the Foot” and are cork, latex, jute and leather

Each year about 24 million birks are sold in the world.The brand also markets other products, such as bags or cosmetics, but the bulk of the business are and will be the sandals.

Birkestock's secret has always been in design, orthopedic conception and material quality.His slogan says that "they often try to copy us, but they never get it".This world sandals icon invented the idea of "the bed for the foot" (Fusebett, in German), a word that was installed in the vocabulary of footwear manufacturers.Sandals are made of cork, latex, jute and leather.Doctors and nurses have always been one of their best customers.

It is true that putting on some Birks was associated, in Germany, to a philosophy of life, rebellious but relaxed, to a progre audience, Kumbayá, heir of the hippies and the May movement of 68 of 68.They were typical sandals of the environmentalists and pacifists who broke out strongly on the other side of the RIN in the 80s of the last century.They are typical of an even more common aesthetic in Germany than in France, hence the surprise before this acquisition.In the United States, however, where comfort prevails, these flip flops have triumphed for several generations.

The brand image has evolved.There have been collaboration projects with renowned designs, such as Valentino.Some Top-Models and Hollywood stars have adopted the Birkestock sandals in their clothing.It has been seen with Birks to Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow.Frances McDormand took them even at the 2019 Oscars ceremony.

There are sandals, then, that are not at odds with elegance and are cool.In the case of Birkestock, it has been Bernard Arnault, the biggest worldwide luxury magnate, who has given his blessing.

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