How Birkenstock became the cult travel shoe

I specifically remember an older female family friend commenting on my Birkenstock-wearing, saying something along the lines of ‘You must be a vegan’. Well, I’m vegetarian, not vegan, but I would take that as a huge compliment – another marker of a generational divide, as well as the progression of wellness culture. The shoe is also unisex, a remarkably forward-thinking design, which appeals to the genderless and non-binary wearer.

And so Birkenstock became the face of the mindful…