While kicks of your dad sneaker and athleisure variety have reigned supreme over the streetwear crowd over the past decade, the last year has seen a resurgence of a different kind of It footwear. Cue the Boston mules by Birkenstocks – a folksy open-heeled style that looks like a cross between a pair of clogs and slippers. Created in 1977 by the German footwear label, this cozy slip-on design has become a stamp of cool for the fashionable crowd lately. The shoes are almost orthopedic (which make them ironic) and the clog-like silhouette spells hippy chic (who doesn’t love some vintage vibes?). In short, they are kind of weird and fabulous.
Earlier this year, Kanye West was spotted in a pair of Bostons – shocker, not trainers – which he paired with a Haider Ackermann suit. When JW Anderson took his bow at London Fashion Week this February, the man wore a version from his namesake label which riffed on the Boston’s design right down to its cork soles; he paired them with jeans and a hoodie. Then last week, the world got a preview of the first shoe design from the highly-anticipated LV² menswear line that Louis Vuitton is designing with Japanese streetwear legend Nigo, when the head of men’s footwear design at Louis Vuitton, Mathias Patillon, shared a photo on his Instagram. You’ve guessed it, they were a pair of mules.
Still not convinced of their appeal? Browse our selections above.
