Update: Birkenstock’s mobile Rick Owens store will be open to the public from April 18-21, 2018. The Birkenstock Box will be located in front of the Rick Owens store located on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles.
For those unable to visit the store, the styles will be available to pre-order on all Rick Owens and Birkenstock retail channels on April 2nd. The shoes will launch on the same retail channels on April 18th.
Read the original story below.
Known as a mainstay of the comfort industry, Birkenstock is loved for its functionality, which it updates through updated color and material stories. In an apt pairing, the German-based Birkenstock has linked with designer Rick Owens who is also known for telling distinct design stories, which don’t necessarily abide by passing fashion trends.
The shoes will first come available via Birkenstock’s mobile pop-up store called The Box, designed by architects Pierre Jorge Gonzalez and Judith Haase. While Birkenstock has partnered with high-end retailers on the pop-up shop concept, its efforts with Owens mark the first time the brand has collaborated with a designer.
“Just a fashion designer would be less relevant. Rick Owens, however, is different. We collaborated in architecture, design and fashion,” said Birkenstock’s Oliver Reichert, who has been the company’s CEO since 2013 and has led the effort to modernize the way the company does business.
As part of the collaboration Owens has designed three silhouettes using four different fabrications, including felt, pony hair and leather.
The timing works for Owens whose ongoing partnership with Adidas will end with the fall 2017 collection. “I agree with the values Birkenstock has promoted all along, steady longevity and personal well being,” said Owens. “And being able to combine our aesthetics with this project together in L.A. feels really satisfying.”
On March 16, 2018, The Box store will be parked outside of Owens’ store on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. The styles will then be available for pre-order on Rick Owens and Birkenstock’s online stores on March 15th.
Check out the pony hair silhouette and The Box by Rick Owens pop-up below.
