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As a cobbler, we rely alot on these. People almost entirely rely on unrepairable shoes so these help shops alot

I really respect Birkenstock for not using Amazon and for keeping their production in Germany where they can maintain their standards and buck the trend of making their money off of very low paid workers abroad. I hope they never give in!

I'm a Crocs guy but you've seriously got me considering a pair of birks for more formal gatherings.

Birkenstocks are a classic in Denmark, when I moved here, about three years ago I was flabbergasted at how popular they are. I used to strongly dislike them but over time I started to worm up to them and now I ordered some for myself. My friends and family love them and always say that it's comfortable, flexible and long lasting. I ended up buying some and I am waiting for them to be shipped right now, can't wait to start wearing them this summer.

I recently bought a pair of Arizonas and I gotta say, I am extremely happy with this purchase. I think they make a lot of my summer outfits look better, and I like the idea of investing in an item that will shape to me overtime and not break within a few weeks.

I thought Birkenstocks were ugly and told myself I’d never own a pair. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I saw the Arizona big buckle style sandals that I decided to give them a try. Now I have several pairs. 😅 My absolute favorite are the soft foot bed Arizonas in suede. There is no break-in time!

I've had mine for over 15 years, I use them - as it is custom in Germany - as house shoes. I wear otherwise barefoot shoes, but coming home and wearing my Birkenstocks is like walking on a cloud!! So relaxing...

Birkenstocks also makes clogs for working in a kitchen or hospital. When I was a cook I loved my Birkenstock clogs. I think they were made out of some sort of waterproof polymer that was super tough and had a slip resistant tread. But I could take the insoles out and run them through the dishwasher at home to get them clean again after a 16 HR shift

I’ve got about 35 years wearing Arizona birks. Never had any pain. Only about 3 days from purchase to completely break them in (no pain, just kinda stiff to perfectly molded to my feet). Also, never repaired any of them. Each pair last 4 to 8 years. Maybe I’ll look into repairing current ones, but getting a new pristine pair is such a treat!

these and my dr martens are the most expensive shoes i own but i love them SO MUCH. definitely worth it for me. before i got my birkenstocks i would buy a new pair of sandals like every two years because they'd break or i felt like the style didn't suit me anymore, but i haven't even thought of any other shoes for the summer now that i have them. i have the arizona style in mocha. the blisters in the breaking in period were tough though. oddly enough i didn't have that problem with my dr martens

I had the same pair of Birkenstock clogs for OVER A DECADE and only got rid of them because my feet no longer fit in them after I had my son. The shoes went to a friend of mine though so I know they are still getting worn. When I became pregnant with my son I lived in my Birkenstock sandals that I got towards the middle of my pregnancy. They are still my favorite shoes

Crocs person here, but I got my first two pairs of Birkenstocks recently and I cannot tell you enough how much I love them. I got the soft footbed suede leather and the Milano oiled leather. They are awesome and so very well made! Your video is amazingly informative. Thank you!! 😊

Well, if they're good enough for Jason Momoa, they're good enough for me! I love my Birkenstock Arizona's, and I get very attached to them. They last forever and are so worth the cost. I didn't know you could get them repaired, so now I'm looking forward to keeping my current pair for the rest of my life.

I have a lot of different pairs. My advice to avoid the foot torture is to wear them throughout the day for short periods of time or wear them with thick socks around the house at first- though the oils of your skin will definitely help to soften them up.

One thing that was mentioned is the glue that holds all the layers together. For instance the glue that holds your resolve on the sandal. Historically, the glues that hold shoes together are the most environmentally impactful part of the shoe. I found nothing on their website, so this is another reason that third party certification would be nice.

I wore Birkenstocks for 15 hours during a Disneyland trip. At the end, I was the only one still walking normal compared to others in my family. Love them!

I love these analysis videos Levi and Team. Great work everyone.

The first pair of Birkenstocks that I bought was when I was in Germany in 1985. Crazy note, I got them in a pharmacy! I think I paid about $20 for them.

I stayed in a country where cobblers are relatively common. Back in pre-cvoid era, the street side cobbler would repairs any type of shoes brought to them. They extend the life of shoes with a small fees. Nowadays I have move on to a remote work environment and rarely goes to business districts. Hope they are doing okay.

My dad wore Birks almost exclusively, and so I also started wearing them as a teenager (in the early nineties). I just got a new pair after years of not owning a pair, and got a pair for my 13 year old daughter, who loves them! A fun family tradition, I suppose.

I’ve been wearing Birkenstocks for over thirty years, and I still wear my Bostons to work and my Zurichs for weekends. So, to say I’m a loyal customer is an understatement!

i thought my birkenstocks (which i've had for around 7 years) were on their last legs but it's really good to know that they are so easily reparable!

I was gifted this not knowing they were so popular. I had someone point them out on social media asking me if they were “Birks” and was left astonished at how they are so well known. In love with them. They are sooooo comfortable! More then my shoes I swear.

First! So happy i stumbled across your channel last month, every video is top tier!

I'm amazed to know how long theses shoes have been around: I saw them first in the late 80's wore by tourist, and then I saw them so comfortables and "real" I really wanted them

Finally bought my first pair of Arizonas. I already love them and can’t wait to have them forever

I trekked around Berkeley and San Francisco last week in a pair of big buckle Arizonas. I even marched in them. These shoes are godly.

Thanks for the video. Hadn't realised how easily repairable they were and was eyeballing both pairs of (secondhand) birks sitting on my floor.

Birkenstock being bought by LVMH could likely be terrible for upholding the brands current ethics, quality, etc. The teardown of their boots was hugely disappointing, but hopefully they don't go down that road with their sandals

After your previous Birkenstock videos, it convinced me to take the plunge and I'm now absolutely in love with my Arizonas! I got the same color you have and man it changed everything about how I think about footwear

Hey Levi, I watched this video of yours and I had no idea about Birks at all. I have a pair of crocs but they've worn out so i was hunting for a new pair. I got so interested in them that I started searching everything. Even posted on Reddit to get more info and just like you, I've got completely flat feet. So I am so delighted to find comfort that birks are great for flat feets, I've ordered one and I am so excited. Everything happened in 3 4 days. Thank you so much my friend.

I’m so German, of course I love my Birkenstocks 😅 I have a pair of Madrid in EVA for my travels, they are waterproof (perfect for the bathroom, pool etc.) and lighter as my cork ones 🤓

Hey Levi, your videos really helped motivate me to try live a more sustainable lifestyle, however I feel like these Future Proof videos are beginning to follow a rather formulaic structure. It comes across as piggybacking on the popularity of these brands, which feels counter to your stance on sustainability. I preferred the content you did before rebranding when it was more about how we should try to live sustainably, and less emphasis on brand names.

Hey Levi. You should do a video on Citizen. They’re one of three Japanese heavyweight watch manufacturers. Their Eco drive technology is really cool since it’s basically powered by light. I’ve talked to owners of Citizens who have had their watches for years without any issues. Definitely better than changing a normal battery every few years!

I watched your first iteration of this video back in the day and got myself a pair. I do agree the breaking in is worth it. I also wear them with socks sometimes lol

I got my first pair of Birkenstocks 12 days ago and i love them even though i get pretty bad blisters but i dont care because their so comfortable and i love how they look 😍 (i got the Arizona ones)

I jumped on the bandwagon 5 years ago and they’re still kicking strong! Worn them hiking, cutting the lawn, in rain and snow.

What a surprise ending! I am really curious about the acquisition and looking forward to your update video

I love my Birkenstocks, but I would have liked if you could have touched on negative subjects like the undermining of unions and labour laws by Birkenstock until 1997 and that there wasn’t equal pay for women until 2012 as they were earning one euro less per hour. Today Birkenstock is part of the luxury conglomerate LMVH and it will be interesting what direction the company will take.

Literally just bought my first pair today! You should be the spokesperson for them. Great video

I just bought some Birkenstock for Christmas because of this video. I really hope you meant everything you said in this video.

Great information here. Definitely needs a part 2 now that Birkenstock is a public company now. They IPO'd a few days ago.

I still have a pair of Boston Birkenstocks from high school in the 80s--I have even had them re-soled to a larger size footbed when I was pregnant. And I have a pair of Florida Birkenstocks from the early 90s. I love them! I am nervous to hear that the've been acquired by another company. I really hope the quality does not diminish.

I have a gizeh with black leather upper and yes it took ages and pain to walk those puppies in, but now it is so comfortable I tend to reach for my birkenstock every summer

I have multiple pairs of Birkenstocks in a few different styles, the oldest is about 5 years old… I cannot wear any other shoe, nor do I want to! They may not look like much but they go with everywhere and look adorable! I have planters fasciitis that flares up from time to time.. especially barefoot .. so a pair of Birkenstocks are typically on my feet.. whether the sandal or my Boston clogs.. even my slippers are Birkenstocks! They are worth the investment… an easy grab and go and works with anything you wear or anywhere you need to go.

The pain that I had was from the suede itself 😭 I definitely broke in the footbed but the suede felt like a cheese grater in the arch of my foot. I want to wear birks so badly, I loved mine, but that suede was so painful.

I have planar fasciitis from an ongoing and recurring work injury. The Arizona is the only thing that makes it possible for me to walk.

Great content as always 😀 Duckfeet could be another interesting footwear brand to cover.

This is the longest sandal ad I have ever watched.

I got a pair of arizonas for work, and 4 pair of different birkenstocks for outdoor use loooooove them

I just got my Birkenstocks resoled thanks to learning it from you and one of your older videos

Love these sandals! I even did an unboxing video haha. Got my first pair a few months ago!

I now understand why they are expensive! Thank you. I thought it was a weird fad, but this makes 100% sense

Was a fan of Crocs for 3 decades, off late they have a lot of quality issues, now i have moved into Birkenstock and I'm a happy loyal fan of it!!

I have so many pairs of these. They're so comfortable. I stand on my feet a lot and they don't hurt at the end of the day.

I've bought countless pairs of off-brand Birkenstock Arizonas from Deichmann and Reno here in Germany over the last two decades and didn't even know anything about that Birkenstock craze. They were simply the most comfy sandals I could find. Period.

Watching this after buying a pair to treat foot pain. Their design and fit are perfect, I don't wan to wear anything else but I need work boots so I don't drop heavy stuff on my toe, not sandals. they have some Birki Sport insoles I am excited to try.

Would love to see you do a story on Rainbow sandals? It's probably the best flip flop, I had mine. for10 years and just got another pair. Hands down still the best.

I don't own any Birkenstock sandal, but I have 2 pairs of lookalikes I bought 20 years ago, before I even knew what a Birkenstock was. I don't know the brand but they were produced here in my country, Portugal. They're really good quality and have endured a lot, have been at the cobbler (yeah, I just learn a new and useful English word), have been soaked in water and are still in great shape.

Well done!

One of my ex BFs has one pair of Arizona and one pair of Boston, both in white leather. He has the outsole replaced a few times over the decades. They are still going strong today. I often wonder why Birkenstock charges so much. They probably don’t have repeat buying because the shoes are very easy to repair and renew. I have a pair of Boston. I like them a lot with wool socks.

My Birkenstocks and Blundstones are far and away my most expensive pairs of footwear (not counting things like ski boots), but they are without a doubt the best quality and the longest lasting. For any other pair of shoes I'll get 1 to 1.5 years out of them before I have to buy a new pair. I've had my Birks and Blundstones for years at this point and aside from them looking a bit scuffed (which is a part of the style) they're still comfortable and good as new. They may cost more up front, but they are far and away much cheaper in the long run.

Finally the birkenstock video. Been waiting for months.

tbh i was abit disappointed with getting birkenstocks on my 18th birthday... but goddamn now i realise the true value, these are so comfy around the house. New customer for life

honestly I thought they were so ugly but then I got a pair after my friend convinced me and they are so comfortable, that's what keeps me buying them !

This was a good ad. I think im gonna go buy some birks now thanks

Just bought a pair and converted from my Chaco's, Would love to see you do a video on Chaco's and see the comparison.

I wear my Arizona's all the time and my friends just called them Jesus sandals I don't think any of them knew about that already being a thing for other Birkenstocks, like none of them even knew what the company was when I started wearing them bagging like junior year of high school, strange coincidence

I have an Arizona white and its just dope. And that I might get a mocha Arizona too. Both Arizona and Honolulu are my favorites.

The Arizona Oiled Leathers are awesome. They are the same model as Steve Jobs, Apple Founder wore for decades.

While I love Birkenstocks myself you should consider exploring the types of leather available within the fashion industry. There is a big difference between "genuine leather" and "full grain leather", both of which Birkenstock (and many other brands) uses in their products. This point would further explore the environmental and sustainability side of this topic. Great video as always!

I’ve suffered with planta faciatus and these are my go to footwear really comfortable

My girlfriend just got me a pair of Birkenstocks sandals. They are not just a style they are an investment. Sandals that you can take back to Birkenstocks and they will repair them better than any run-of-the-mill sandal you'll get out there.

Birkenstock worth it. That's it. It is love at first sight and wear. Also, until the leather breaks, some blisters are allowed. Ich liebe meine Birkenstock Sandalen! Tschüss!

As a sales person in Birkenstock, I feel good watching a video like this

I tried them on once but the arch support was too far back...I had some dr Martens "likes" that were just PERFECT!!! Too bad they stopped making them, I literally wore mine to the ground... The Dr Martens sandals I am talking about had an ankle strap...or what ever that is called...they were heavy and hefty...I loved them!

I have 2 pairs of Birkenstock Sandals. I have the Arizona Soft Foot-bed model. One pair I got off of eBay (Brand new) for about $40. I only wear them when I go out to eat at supper clubs or places that I want to dress up nicely.

I’m Canadian and somehow I always manage to wear my birks out while it’s snowing at least once per season and they always held up lol

I've had my Birks - Boston style for over 15 years and still going.

I love your vids bro! Btw are you Jim Levenstein's brother?

excellent editorial

I have about every color and style. I have about 15 pair, at least. I do wish the Gihza had leather to straps for comfort rather than that little piece of plastic. All others are perfect. I have foot arch problems after torn ligaments so they are always comfortable. Iam a leather snob so no burkiflor for me. Love them!

Big fan of the Boston clogs. Mine are 16 years old. Awesome.

Honestly I used to mock my dad for wearing his arizonas constantly. Then I got my own pair... now if I'm not wearing a work boot, I'm wearing a birkenstock. Even went and got some birkenstock bend sneakers cause I hated not being able to wear my arizonas out of the house when it was cold. It takes a little bit to get used to the footbed, I remember I my feet ached a little for the first week, but once you get used to them it's like your feet sigh in relief when you slip them on. Honestly they're just well made, comfortable shoes. And no clunky thick foam heel that makes you walk incorrectly. They're just a good shoe. Period. I was putting on my bend sneakers the other day and reflected upon the fact the lining and tongue seem to be leather too (this isn't true of the ones with canvas on the outside so it's not all of them), and ya know, I just don't know of many popular brands that'd make a leather sneaker and construct it with so much leather.

Nice video all doubts are clear now

Arizona, best sandals I ever had. Mine are worn out now and beyond repairable so it’s time to order a new pair

I'm really considering buying a pair of Birkenstocks and I'm pretty sure I will in the near future. I'm just really worried about the new acquisition. I really hope their quality doesn't suffer.

Interesting how products are received differently in different markets. In Germany those are basically exclusively worn as house shoes and maybe by doctors and nurses at work. You never see people wearing them outside on the streets, not even in the summer when other sandals are common. When people wear sandals, they usually wear the ones with a third strap behind the heel. I never even considered getting Birkenstocks as regular outdoor shoes, to be honest. To me that would feel kind of like going out wearing a bathrobe as a coat, or like wearing oven mitts as winter gloves. hehe

Talking about leather things, I don't know about the rest of the world but in my country is SO hard to find a natural leather urban/city backpack, all they sell are vegan leather ones and tbh I'm really done about purchasing a new bag every three years because vegan leather is imposible to repair.

Any tips for styling them? Can i wear them with socks? I recently bought the comfy sandals from crocs and i love them and im really liking this style of sandal and thanks to this vid im thinking of investing in some leather Arizona lol Nice vid

Love this, my next sandal will be a Birk.

I am cracking up because if you did a vote for anyone under 40, the % of peeps that know what a cobbler is would be in the teens or lower. Maybe you should do a video on just that. I am shocked on how many people do not know, especially when I watched one of my friend throw out a +500 pair of shoes because the heel fell off. We had a very long discussion and she cried because she had been throwing out designer shoes for years.

As a person that needs to wear orthopedic insoles I’ve decided a year ago tho not get them anymore and buy Birkenstock, Arizona top of the list, 1x bend 3x Cincinnati in different colours I will never go back to other shoes again, they’re perfect and worth giving out those extra few cents.

Wow! Back in the summer of 2000 I bought a pair of $5 made-in-Canada sandals from Zellers that looked exactly like these Arizona's. The straps chaffed the top of my feet at first, but after tightening the straps they became the most comfortable and long lasting footwear I've ever owned. They finally fell apart a dozen years later, and I couldn't find them again during my yearly trips back to Canada. The branding had long worn away as well, so there was no way to find if they were still being made. I moved on to knock-off Crocs after that, but I still remember those sandals.

Be aware that birkenstocks only fit, if your feet are really longest at the big toe. If the next two toes are just similar in length birkenstocks will just cause trouble. They are really very popular and common in germany though.

I love my Birkies! I own a few pairs and walk on them all summer, every summer 🤗 Though I am more a Gizeh girl than Arizona 😝

Love my Arizonas and shoes from Birken!!!!

Wearing them right now. So good

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