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OVERVIEW
Reinventing the Heel
One of the great paradoxes of business is that brands must evolve to stay competitive, but they must do so without jeopardizing the equity they've spent so many years developing. The more powerful a company's heritage, the more difficult it is to enact successful change.
This was the problem facing Birkenstock; a shoe company that can trace its roots back to a German cobbler in the late 1700s. In 1967, when the shoes were first introduced to the American market, they rapidly built a successful, counter-cultural brand. In order to grow, however, Birkenstock needed to break free from the rigidity of its past. They approached fuseproject to help develop a new line of shoes under the name Footprints. They wanted to maintain their commitment to comfort, green design, recyclability and sustainable manufacturing, while simultaneously attracting a new audience - the modern urbanite.
Strategy
- Conceived new sub brand concept, direction, and implementation strategy. Redirected the current philosophies of the company into a new and innovative products and brands
Brand & Packaging
- New brands and extensions were designed to take the Birkenstock demographic into the post-college urban crowd
- Create a new footprints logo, applications and art direction to be carried across all product applications, POP Concepts, packaging design, art direction and product photography
Product
- Designed new lines for Footprints including in-sole comfort assemblies using new materials and production techniques
- Designed new youthful outdoor/indoor lightweight plastic shoes which became widely imitated in the market place
Recognition & Awards
- IDEA - Business Week, Gold Excellence Award - Birkenstock Footprints branding & strategy
- Red Dot Design Award - Birki Pro Clogs
- Red Dot Design Award - Birkis Clogs