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A research and design project that supports the next generation of designers.
As part of its educational initiative designed to support up-and-coming designers, Birkenstock has tapped four of Central Saint Martins‘ MA Fashion students to rework its sandal silhouettes. The partnership sees creations from four names: Dingyun Zhang, Alex Wolfe, Alecsander Rothschild and Saskia Lenaerts.
The creatives were chosen from 10 finalists by 12 jury members including Birkenstock’s CEO Oliver Reichert, MA Fashion Course director Fabio Piras, Sarah Mower MBE and more. “Investing in and connecting with future talents is working with free spirits,” Reichert shared in a press release. “A priority for forward-thinking brands, especially a democratic brand that embraces all like Birkenstock. The students showed a genuine understanding of design and delivered a convincing end result.”
Dingyun Zhang, an exciting name whose portfolio features the likes of YEEZY and CL, has crafted a comfort- and functionality-focused design with padded straps. South-East London designer Alex Wolfe created a conceptual sandal with detachable pieces to transform into a gladiator-like variation. Elsewhere, Mugler alum Alecsander Rothschild took inspiration from Constantin Brâncuși’s sculptures, while Saskia Lanaerts came up with a pair celebrating Birkenstock’s latex and cork footbed.
Scroll through the gallery above for the accompanying campaign shot by Walter Pfeiffer. The CSM x Birkenstock collection will be available online and at select stores worldwide soon.