Shoppers Bought 25 Million Pairs of These Cult "Ugly" Shoes This Year

From over-the-top runway trends to $50 Zara versions, you've likely heard us talking about the "ugly" shoe trend ad nauseam. It may seem like it's another trend that only fashion insiders are willing to experiment with, but there are pretty significant sales numbers to back up the movement. For instance, Business of Fashion just published a new interview with Oliver Reichert, the co–chief executive of Birkenstock, and we learned some fascinating tidbits about the company.
BoF reports that Birkenstock sales tripled between 2012 and 2016 to roughly $800 million, and the company is on track to sell a staggering 25 million pairs of shoes this year. How's that for proof that the "ugly" shoe trend is here to stay? Scroll down to shop our favorite Birkenstocks and ideas on how to style them.

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.
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