New No Box European Birkenstock Napoli Black Leather Loafers EU 42 1/2 275 42.5

Description: New No Box European Birkenstock Napoli Black Leather Loafers EU 42 1/2 275 42.5. Footprints Insoles Made In Germany Rest Of Shoe Made In Portugal Birkenstock footwear is assembled from the finest materials available. This means that each pair will provide maximum wear and comfort for years to come. Cork Only the lightest, premium-quality cork is used to craft Birkenstock footbeds. Cork is used because it's lightweight, resilient, and shock absorbent. It's also a renewable resource. It comes from the bark of cork oak trees which grow in Spain and Portugal. The bark is peeled by hand. This, by the way, doesn't harm the tree. It simply grows more cork bark, which can be reharvested every 7 years. Most of the harvested bark is cut into corks, bottle stoppers, or ground up and made into Birkenstock contoured footbeds. Upper Materials Birkenstock uses the highest quality leather available. They start with 3mm-thick hides, the thickest in the shoe industry, and dye them all the way through for color that lasts. Birko-Flor™ is Birkenstock's alternative to leather. Soft, flexible and breathable, it requires no break-in time. It's also easier to care for and less expensive than leather. Birkenstock History Church records show that Johann Adam Birkenstock was a shoemaker in 1774. For over 200 years making footwear has been a tradition in the Birkenstock family. By the turn of the previous century the Birkenstock family was in the business of making specialized footbed insoles to be used inside factory-made shoes which lacked support. With the orthopedic knowledge they had gained from making footbed insoles, Birkenstock began training thousands of shoemakers across Germany in the 1930’s. In 1947 Carl Birkenstock published a best-selling textbook on podiatry and his concept of a “natural gait”. Karl Birkenstock, Carl’s son, joined the family business in 1954 and eventually combined leather straps to a modified version of the Birkenstock footbed insoles to create the now famous Birkenstock sandal. After the introduction of the sandals, the company has grown by leaps and bounds. Partly due to German tax laws and partly to accommodate the ambitions of Karl’s three sons, there are now companies within the Birkenstock family of brands. The family of brands includes Papillio, Birki’s, and Birkenstock all with their own heritage and knowledge of foot health. Sustainability – the story of cork, latex, and jute We love Birkenstock because of the foot health and comfort which the brand provides. We also appreciate the fact that it is made in Germany under stringent ecological constraints using natural sustainable and renewable materials. Germany leads the world in developing solar energy. Concern for the environment is paramount. Labor standards are very high in Germany. Cork has impressive characteristics: it is lightweight, heat and cold insulating, has antibacterial properties, absorbs moisture, breathes and has high degree of elasticity. Cork adapts to your foot with every step. Cork is the perfect material for the footbed. Cork is made from the bark of the oak tree once it becomes five centimeters thick or greater. It then gradually grows back and can be harvested once again every nine years. The cork is boiled and cut into thin strips from which wine bottle corks are punched. The leftover material is then ground several times and sieved to a select grain size. Birkenstock uses only the highest quality cork. Latex is the bonding material used to hold the cork, jute, and suede liner together. Latex is obtained by perforating the bark of the caoutchouc tree. The rubber milk is collected as it oozes out of the tree. The process is gently done so as not to damage the tree so the process can be repeated. Jute is a textile plant material which is roasted, peeled, combed, cleaned, and then spun into fabric. The jute adds strength and flexibility to the footbed and enhances the moisture absorption and breathability of the footbed. At the Birkenstock factory, operators stand along both sides of a conveyer belt. At the end of the conveyer belt is a giant mixing bowl in which latex and cork are mixed. Smaller bowls of the freshly mixed oatmeal-like concoction of cork and latex are placed on the conveyer. As one of the bowls reaches an operator, she lifts it off the belt and places a precut sheet of coarse jute at the case of the Classic footbed mold. She then spatulas the cork and latex mixture into the mold. Atop this mixture she carefully places a fine layer of jute and the precut suede liner which already has the Birkenstock logo with size and width information printed on the liner as well as a serial number to make sure that the suede liners are matched sets. The tops of the molds are then closed, secured and baked for a while. While they bake, the process is repeated in several other molds. When the baking time is up the operator will then pop the footbeds out of the molds and send them down the conveyer where they are then transferred into curing rooms. They are further heated for about a day, until they are properly cured. Excess jute and suede liner are then hand-trimmed by another operator with the mechanical knives like a router. Along every step of the way, the work is checked for quality. In all the years we have been selling Birkenstock, very few defects have made it through to our store. Their quality control is quite impressive. Fashion and Fit Since the Birkenstock sandal was developed with centuries of solid orthopedic knowledge, it has its own distinct fashion look, different than other brands. Birkenstock doesn’t try to hide the shape of the foot. It tries to be the shape of the foot. Fashion shoes which hide the shape of the foot do so at the cost of comfort and health. Bunions, in-grown toenails, lower back pain and other maladies can be caused by poorly designed footwear. Pointed-toe shoes with higher heels may certainly look cute, but there is a physical cost associated with that cuteness. In order to acknowledge the basic facts of our biology Birkenstock has designed their sandals to be zero-lasted, meaning the heel is at the same level as the ball of the foot. The notion of the need for an elevated heel comes from medieval times when streets were mud. Only the rich could afford to have cobblers make their shoes with higher heels to keep their trousers out of the mud. Since we all like to look like we are of the higher social classes, fashion dictates that we should wear higher heels. Traditions die hard, physiologically speaking; our heel was evolved to carry most of our weight as we walk. To artificially insert elevation under your heel transfers the weight to your forefoot which was not designed to carry the load. Foot pain develops from that improper load bearing. Your skeleton also has to reconfigure itself to adapt to the elevated heel. To have your skeleton out of alignment causes various muscles to compensate for those changes, frequently causing lower back pain. Birkenstock will have a more relaxed fit when compared to Fashion shoes which tend to run too narrow and pointy. Most Birkenstock products are available in a choice of two widths. Your foot should fit within the raised perimeter, not overlapping the sides. You should also have a little space in the heel and toe. This will prevent your toes from banging into the front perimeter as the sandal bends and your foot grips and flexes. It will also prevent your heel from applying too much pressure on the heel cup. QUALITY GUARANTEE: I inspect and test all items that come into my shop. However, I deal with a large variety of items and my knowledge of some items is limited. Because of this I offer a 48 hour inspection period on all items that I sell. If you happen to find a problem with your item that I missed, please let me know within 48 hours of delivery. I will repair the item or refund your money if there is a problem that I cannot fix. Good customer service is my only goal. Please let me know immediately if there is a problem with your item. If there is any shipping damage to your item please keep all packaging until the claim is settled as this is required by all shippers. Failure to keep the packaging will invalidate any return or refund on the item.

Price: 119.99 USD

Location: Danville, Virginia

End Time: 2025-01-08T16:38:51.000Z

Shipping Cost: 15 USD