The famous fashion school joined forces with the classic German shoe brand to create four new interpretations of Birkenstock's iconic sandals.

Birkenstocks are the sandal of choice for the eco-consious and outdoorsy types. Thanks to collaborations with designers like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/rick-owens-designed-a-pair-of-hairy-birkenstocks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rick Owens</a> and Proenza Schoulder, the shoe has found a home in the wardrobes of the fashion-forward as well.&nbsp;
The German brand's latest collaboration is with the students at Central Saint Martins in London, a fashion school whose long list of alumni include Alexander McQueen, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/john-galliano-christian-dior-best-moments-designer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Galliano</a>, and Riccardo Tisci. In 2018, Birkenstock invited the students of the BA Fashion History &amp; Theory course to visit its archives in the US, Italy, Japan and Germany. Then, the following year, MA Fashion students were invited to create their own interpretations of an iconic Birkenstock silhouette. The work of four students was chosen to be produced by the brand, and the collection has just been made <a href="https://www.birkenstock.com/us/1774/csm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">available on Birkenstock's website</a>.&nbsp;
L'OFFICIEL spoke with Central Saint Martins MA Fashion course director Fabio Piras on the collaboration and how he encourages creativity.

L'OFFICIEL: How did this collaboration come about? Fabio Piras: Birkenstock approached [Central Saint Martins] with a proposal for collaboration which perfectly corresponded to the training of our students. As a teacher, I want my students to learn that their creativity should not be detached from commercial potential&mdash;on the contrary. Working with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/rick-owens-designed-a-pair-of-hairy-birkenstocks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Birkenstock</a> has been an incredibly educational and rewarding experience for all of the students involved. Four of them were selected to see their creations produced on a large scale and sold all over the world. This is significant exposure for graduates who are at the start of their careers.

L'O: What surprised you about the way the students approached the Birkenstock archives and the project as a whole? FP: I was surprised by their immediate engagement, most of them finding in the Birkenstock sandal a familiar object with personal memories attached. History &amp; Theory students traveled across several countries to experience the brand from different angles. Their findings revealed the multitude of interpretations of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/shop-chanel-dad-sandals-trend-2020-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the sandal</a>, demonstrating how functionality and technical details can coexist with boundless imagination. This duality resonated with design students and defined the ground on which they could then question the aesthetics and identity of the brand, and put forward their creative approaches.
L'O: In your opinion, what was the central element sought by the judges before selecting the four winners&mdash;Ding Yun Zhang, Alex Wolfe, Alecsander Rothschild and Saskia Lenaerts&mdash;of this collaboration? FP: They were looking for creative and realistic interpretations that express <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/gilbert-and-george-art-jonathan-anderson-designer-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">both novelty and commercial viability</a>.
L'O: The four winning designs are very different. How did you encourage the students to bring their own touch to the project? FP: Students often mistakenly think that a commercial product is synonymous with uncreative design. We encourage them to believe that without their creative ideas there would be no business.

DINGYUN ZHANG&nbsp;
Strength and sustainability are at the heart of Zhang's creative proposition. Based in nylon and neoprene, comfort was a driving force of inspiration.
ALEX WOLFE
Inspired by the idea of a man on-the-go, Wolfe likes to <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/harry-styles-best-fashion-moments-albums-songs-music" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deviate from the norm</a>. For this collaboration, the designer mixed humor and youthful masculinity with a touch of Britishness.
ALECSANDER ROTHSCHILD
The Danish designer imagined a pair of sandals that move away from <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/helmut-lang-designer-career-90s-minimalism-fashion-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">minimalism</a>, an aesthetic that, according to him, the creators of his country struggle to shake.
SASKIA LENAERTS
Lenaerts' work is a visual form of activism. Here, she kept the idea of functionality with Birkenstock's famous cork sole, which she reinterpreted with her own codes.

Birkenstock Teams Up With Central Saint Martins for a Fashion-Forward Collab

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