Ugly for a Reason

COMPLETE YOUR EXPLORATION OF FEET

Throughout the over two century long, rich history of shoemaking, BIRKENSTOCK has always championed the health of the human foot: with shoes that enable everybody to walk in a way that is as close as possible to how nature intended us to. Now, together with the New York Times, we have embarked on a journalistic investigation into the foot. The three-part documentary series UGLY FOR A REASON explores the relevance of foot health and reveals why healthy shoes look exactly the way they do.

FEET ARE MUCH MORE COMPLEX THAN WE THINK.

Hardly anyone spends more time thinking about how to create products that keep your feet healthy than Cansu Elman. Meet BIRKENSTOCK’s Head of Innovation & Orthopedics and find out how we should walk, why healthy shoes look the way they do, and how foot health is integral to BIRKENSTOCK’s DNA.

BIRKENSTOCK’s history can be traced back to 1774, when for the first time a family member of the shoemaker dynasty gets mentioned in official records for the first time. Something that has never changed over the centuries: our commitment to quality, craftsmanship and the passion for providing footwear that helps people keep their feet healthy.

We all agree that kids' feet are cute - but how do we keep them healthy?

Carol Ward

Dr. Carol Ward is Professor of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences at the University of Missouri. She studies the evolution of apes and early hominins. The aim of Ward’s work is to get a better understanding of the evolution of the hominoid torso and to be able to interpret the evolution of body shape and locomotion in ape and human evolution.

Benno M. Nigg

Dr. Benno M. Nigg is an expert for biomechanics. He founded the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Calgary, a multi-disciplinary research center for the study of the human body and its locomotion. He has collaborated with major sport shoe, orthotics and sport equipment companies and holds honorary degrees from the Universities of Salzburg and Innsbruck and an honorary professorship from the Shanghai University of Sport.

Sandra Utzschneider

Prof. Sandra Utzschneider, M.D., is one of the few highly qualified experts with a double education in adult and pediatric orthopedics. She was head of the pediatric orthopedics focus at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich. Today she looks after the foot health of children from all over the world in her private practice in Munich.