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Birkinstock Shoes

MSCHF Birkinstock

Manufacturing Process

Materials used for the Birkinstocks

The shoes

  • Made from a destroyed Hermes Porosus Birkin 35 Bag.Made from a destroyed Hermes Porosus Birkin 35 Bag.

    Made from a destroyed Hermes Porosus Birkin 35 Bag.

    • Leather: Porosus Crocodile
    • Original bag price: $48,000
  • Made from a destroyed Hermes Clemence Birkin 35 Bag.Made from a destroyed Hermes Clemence Birkin 35 Bag.

    Made from a destroyed Hermes Clemence Birkin 35 Bag.

    • Leather: Taurillon Clemence
    • Original bag price: $19,500
  • Made from a destroyed Hermes Porosus Birkin 35 Bag.Made from a destroyed Hermes Porosus Birkin 35 Bag.

    Made from a destroyed Hermes Porosus Birkin 35 Bag.

    • Leather: Porosus Crocodile
    • Original bag price: $31,000
  • Made from a destroyed Hermes Ostrich Birkin 35 Bag.Made from a destroyed Hermes Ostrich Birkin 35 Bag.

    Made from a destroyed Hermes Ostrich Birkin 35 Bag.

    • Leather: Ostrich
    • Original bag price: $24,000

Details:

  • Custom made buckle from Vermeil gold
  • Anatomically shaped cork-latex footbed. Upper: suede, Footbed lining: suede, Sole: EVA.

Manifesto

Additional steps increase retail value

Therefore: make luxury objects out of other complete objects

The process of commodity production: at every step a set of component resources goes in and a slightly more worked or assembled product comes out. Ore is mined, smelted, cast into steel; steel and plastic meet stamp and mold to produce a razor; a razor gets put in a pastel box and becomes a Lifestyle Subscription Productâ„¢!

And there's a constant drive to extend these processes: if there's anything we've learned from subscription bundling it's that one more step in the production chain equals one more opportunity to upsell.

Luxury products use valuable materials.

Materials derive value from their place in history and culture.

Historically we make luxury objects out of inherently valuable materials. Gold and jewels are perennial favorites, but rare speaks a language of its own: in the 1800s when aluminum was exotic and new, the bourgeois aristocrats of France prized their flimsy, inconvenient, aluminum cutlery more than their antique silverware.

Today, Birkin bags appreciate with an average 14% annual return, consistently beating the S&P 500 - by this metric, just as gold, though shiny, is no longer the basis of currency, we can look to the Birkin bag itself as the new luxury raw material par excellence.

Sandals of Theseus

When brands collaborate they conflate, crossover, and context-collapse. A logo gets replaced here, a brand color there. In the end, what of the flagship product remains? BIRKINSTOCKS, though, are no collaboration; perhaps we might more properly call them a transubstantiation.

Frequently asked questions

What are Birkinstocks?

Ever mis-spell something and then realize you actually got it right? Birkinstocks are the most exclusive sandal ever made. All leather is sourced from genuine Birkin bags.

How were Birkinstocks made?

Birkinstocks are made from genuine Birkin bags, which are first disassembled, then flattened. We then cut our pattern from this Birkin leather, and assemble it together with a Birkenstock cork footbed and rubber sole. All Birkinstocks are crafted by hand in USA. Because our process starts with an individual Birkin bag, each pair of Birkinstocks is a singular bespoke object. There is no stock model.

Are Hermes and Birkenstock part of this collab?

Mais, Oui. Et non