Clogs are cool, that's the headline.
Should you be living in the UK, then you probably have April 12th earmarked as the date that signals less screen time, more face time. Hair will be cut, outdoor drinks will flow and socialising will finally be a thing again in our groups of six and with that, the responsibility of getting dressed properly - if that’s even a thing anymore - returning. For the chapter we’re putting an end to, I think anything goes at this point when it comes to what we wear. While most of us are ready to go beyond exclusively dressing just our top half (myself included), one item that I want to double down on are mules, specifically, the Birkenstock Boston.
If the two-strap Arizona style was my starter into the land of cork footbeds, the Boston is the main course that won me over. My fondness for them, like many others will relate to, began at the start of lockdown one and since then I have not looked back as I go off on my walks while fully embracing the mule and all its benefits. Mine have been worn with: cuffed sweats, cropped trousers, baggy slacks and cannonballing in at the deep end, short shorts, socks and sandals, the real initiation outfit. The rise in popularity for them is not hard to see why. At a time when everything has been turned upside down, we’ve leaned into clothes that make us feel as comfortable as possible while the world is wrapped up in heavy headlines and anything that helps us feel slightly more at ease is welcomed - even if that just means shoes without laces. I mean, there’s even an Instagram account called The Muler Report, dedicated entirely to the vast array of mules out there in the world, in which Birkenstock Boston have a regular honorary mention.downicon
Some remain stubbornly opposed to my German orthopaedic footwear choices. They have even become the icon for one of my group chats, positioned for prime ridicule. If only they slipped into the cork footbed themselves they would see the light. Lockdown was the perfect opportunity for anti-mulers to adopt the shoe, but that’s not to say it’s too late. If anything, their open back slip on design is the perfect shoe to liberate us as we take our first few steps in resuming a somewhat semi-familiar life of how things used to be. And it seems I am not short of fellow mule enthusiasts.
My confidence for their continued popularity not only resides in a 247 year history, a £3.5bn valuation and a LVMH acquisition - not bad for a ridiculed shoe - but the fact they were loved, worn and adored long before we became homebound. “I’ve been wearing them for so long I can’t even remember when I started,” Bruce Pask, Men's Fashion Director of Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus concedes to me. “For the longest time when I finally wore through a pair’s soles after years of wear I would still hang onto them even after picking up a new replacement pair, unable to let them go. They would just sit in the closet as a reminder to me of the history I had with them.” To wear out the footbed is a sign of a guy whose step count was high, even before going on walks was the only thing we could do. Others have taken significantly less in theirs, only just realising the benefits they bring back in March of last year. “I was a real latecomer to Birkenstocks - and even later to the Bostons. The first pair of Bostons I possessed was only last year during the first lockdown. They seemed so cosy, a tad medieval - and practical,” says Flora Macdonald Johnston, Fashion & Luxury at the Financial Times. While they might be a little garish with an exaggerated clog toebox, that hasn’t stopped Johnston in recognising they are here to stay. “Socks and sandals had a real renaissance in the 2010s, there was David Beckham and his infamous red sock and sandal moment, and Kanye West and Tyler the Creator solidified the trend. Now, it is on the runways at Proenza Schouler and Valentino.”
The jury is out as to whether the Boston is an indoor or outdoor shoe, I myself prescribing them to outdoor use only, but not everyone is in the same camp. ”They're my ‘house shoes’,” says Content Creator Matthew Spade “I’ve never been into slippers that much, so these are a nice middle ground for sure; I don't feel underdressed, they always feel purposeful. They don't go further than our garden, I ain't a fan of bringing the outside inside.” Spade got his first pair back in 2017, in brown mink suede and has not looked back since, often wearing his with “worn in 501s, a hoodie and some complimentary socks, depending on what colour is going on up top”. That’s not to say that the shoe cannot do both, with Johnston endorsing a “Bostons here, Bostons there, my Bostons come with me everywhere” policy, something I could quite easily get on board with. With arguments for both, I asked Pask the same question and it seems he has the perfect solution. “I have been very careful about wearing my new Kith x Birkenstock faux shearling suede Bostons outside because I really want to keep them in great condition. For that reason I have taken to wearing my classic suede Bostons when out and about.” One pair for indoors, one pair for outdoors, duly noted.
In terms of styling, Birkenstock helps provide a bigger playground than most footwear for the socks we choose to wear and within lockdown, choosing a good pair of socks to go with your mules might have been the biggest thing you had to think about. “Adding socks adds an extra oomph of comfort and protection,” says Spade who recalls his combinations sometimes striking up interest from his local postman. It is the same for Pask, who calls himself a “sock connoisseur” due to his Bostons. “I love ragg wool socks, heavier weight ribbed cotton socks, and soft wool socks with lots of cushioning. My favourites are by Freight, from Trunk Clothiers, made from alpaca with a soft padded sole… they’re amazing.” (See: The socks to level up your drawer) Wanting to find out what’s next for the shoe, I scoured for answers from my fellow mule advocates. Can they transition into the office? “I can see them being worn openly, not hidden under desks,” predicts Johnston. Could more designer collaborations be on the cards in the future? Pask hopes so. “I would love to see a collab between Common Projects and Birkenstock. It would be interesting to see what Peter and Flavio of the brand would come up with. Birkenstock, I hope you see this! I’m happy to make introductions!” And if after all that, for those who still deem themselves anti-clog, what can we do to change their minds? “There’s no convincing some people,” says Spade, “they are missing out on all of the fun.”
So if your confidence in Birkenstock had become a little rocky as we begin to fill up our social calendar once more, a conversation with the mule community will get you back on track. I’ll be clip clopping down the road for many days to come… just perhaps hanging out at the back of my group of six to avoid further ridicule. Don’t worry, they’ll soon see sense.jbicon
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