Modern Birkenstock
sandal and Birkenstock shoe history: 1983 The Birkenstock-"Fu?ibel" by Karl Birkenstock is published with a print run of 360,000 copies. 1984 Alex
Birkenstock, the second son of Karl Birkenstock, enters the family business. 1985 On March 8, the first large junior congress meets at Birkenstock in Bad Honnef. 1986 The second junior congress takes place with over 200 participants. 1987 The Sankt Katharinen branch is equipped with additional large-scale cutting machinery and a sizeable warehouse.
Birkenstock sandals initiates production of outsize shoes (up to size 50) in two widths
for customers that need the larger sizes.
1988 Christian Birkenstock, the youngest son of Karl Birkenstock, joins the family business. Environmentally-friendly glue is introduced in production. The extra costs (almost twice the price for glue plus the costs of adapting the large machinery to the new glue) are offset by the improved quality of the adhesive.
The corporation stakes a claim for the environment, and sets a world-wide example in this direction. The Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl visits the
Birkenstock company.
The Birkenstock Milano, like the Birkenstock Oslo, is a back-strap sandal in a variety of materials with fully adjustable straps and shock-absorbing EVA sole.
