Level Shoes pop-up features exclusive collection of Birkenstock by Central Saint Martins students

Four student designers have reimagined the classic sandal in unexpected ways

The Bukarest by Alecsander Rothschild. Courtesy Birkenstock

Level Shoes in The Dubai Mall is furthering its fashion chops with the release of a collection for Birkenstock designed by students from Central Saint Martins. The designs will be available exclusively at a pop-up in Level Shoes until April 12.

Four years in the making, the project is the culmination of a partnership between the German shoe brand that can trace its origins to 1774, and the famous fashion institute that can boast the likes of Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Kim Jones, John Galliano and Giambattista Valli as alumni.

It all started in 2018, when Birkenstock invited students from Central Saint Martins' fashion history and theory course into the company archives for research, for a project that tasked the young creatives with merging Birkenstock DNA with their contemporary take on design.

Reviewed by a judging panel including Birkenstock chief executive Oliver Reichert, MA fashion course director Fabio Piras and fashion critic Sarah Mower, as well as previous CSM students Roksanda Ilincic and Mary Katrantzou, 10 finalists were shortlisted and given a bursary to develop their shoe.

A year later, four designs were selected to go forward to the production stage. With the finished products now on sale, each design has the name of the person behind it embossed into the footbed.

Reichert says of this bold approach that the company is pleased to support rising talents, whose innovative ideas pushed Birkenstock in new directions. "Experiencing the challenge to realise the product innovation delivered by these students is a good challenge. We are proud to have a proven impact on these early careers and are counting this as one of our most relevant projects," he said.

Here are the four designs you can browse or buy in Dubai.

The Moto

The Moto sandal by Alex Wolfe leans on Birkenstock’s deep orthopaedic knowledge, now blended with motocross-style protective gear. The leg covering, albeit made with Birkenstock's skin-friendly material Birko-Flor, marks a new shape for the shoemaker. The design is tall, but flexible and, crucially, it is also removable, leaving a more familiar shape.

Of his daring design, Wolfe explains that emerging designers often offer a unique perspective. "We are at a stage where creativity is at its most authentic," he says, "designing from a place of optimism, and bringing new energy and ideas.”

The Moto is available in black and red, blue and white, or futuristic matte black.

The Cosy

Sink your feet into the Cosy, which comes courtesy of Dingyun Zhang. For it, the student designer reworked the Arizona sandal with inspiration taken from the padded comfort of a puffer jacket. In this iteration, the familiar double strap of Birkenstock is plumped up in neoprene or leather, and fastened with Velcro across the top of the foot. Offered in dual tones of white on black or black on white, this looks as comfortable as the name implies.

The Terra

Saskia Lenaerts, meanwhile, has reimagined the Birkenstock Milano into a design called Terra, which has been given a backstrap. Lenaerts has also added a human element to the shoe by picking out the design with contrasting stitching, based on the shape of a footprint left in the sand.

Lenaerts says she is grateful for the chance to tie-up with Birkenstock. "For us, as young designers, it is an extremely rewarding experience to be valued and listen to by established brands. It offers us the opportunity to learn first-hand from industry connoisseurs.

"We were given a shot at following through with a product from start to end, a product that will physically be produced and sold. To experience the entire industrialisation and marketing process is something unique at this early stage in our careers. Being able to evidence that I collaborated with Birkenstock validates my talent and expertise for future career endeavours."

The Bukarest

The final design is by Alecsander Rothschild, and is called the Bukarest. Rendered in neoprene, the top of the foot is covered with a layer that joins to an ankle strap, so from the side, the whole thing starts to resemble a gladiator sandal. Soft and airy, fastened with pliable Velcro, and  offered in white, black and silver and white, this is a design that's at once space age yet old school.

Explaining his creation, Rothschild reiterates his peer Wolfe's thoughts that being a student still at college lends freedom to the pieces. “Students are usually more focused on the design, rather than the sales side, which I think gives a more vibrant product at the end. I think the collaboration with Birkenstock really shows that.”