Birkenstock and ETRO released their first joint footwear collection worldwide today, reworking two of the German brand’s oldest silhouettes — the Boston clog, turning 50 this year, and the 1983 Gizeh sandal — through ETRO’s paisley-and-fringe Milanese lens.

Key Points

• The Birkenstock by ETRO collection is now available globally through both brands, after first appearing on the runway at ETRO’s Fall/Winter 2026 show during Milan Fashion Week, according to ETRO’s own product page.
• It reworks the Boston clog, which Birkenstock launched in 1976 and which turns 50 this year, and the Gizeh sandal, introduced in 1983, per the same official listing.
• ETRO’s signature paisley motif appears on the outsole tread, alongside embroidered suede, long fringe, Western-style custom buckles and exclusive Pegasus-branded rivets.
• Boston clogs from the line retail at $690, with companion pieces like silk scarves and a wool cape ranging from $290 to $2,990, per ETRO.
• The shoes ship with free returns and exchanges through ETRO’s own site, which is handling direct-to-consumer sales alongside Birkenstock’s boutiques.

Both base silhouettes are among Birkenstock’s most recognizable: the closed-toe Boston clog, without a back strap, and the slimmer two-strap Gizeh thong sandal, each built around the brand’s signature cork-latex footbed, per ETRO’s own description of the styles it chose to rework. Neither was designed with embroidery or fringe in mind, which is exactly the tension ETRO’s design team leaned into.

The collaboration wraps the Gizeh in premium suede and nappa leather and keeps Birkenstock’s anatomically shaped cork-latex footbed intact under a tonal leather covering, according to ETRO’s own specifications. WWD independently confirmed the runway debut took place at ETRO’s Milan Fashion Week show, tying the launch to the brand’s home turf for the paisley pattern it has used since the 1980s.

Fashion-house collaborations are now routine for Birkenstock, which built its reputation on unglamorous orthopedic function rather than runway spectacle. Pairing a 50-year-old clog engineered for foot health with a house built on maximalist paisley and fringe is a more literal culture clash than most crossover sneakers manage, precisely because neither brand is pretending the other’s category doesn’t matter. ETRO didn’t simplify its print to fit the shoe; it built custom hardware, from the Pegasus rivets to the bone-pattern-and-paisley outsole, specifically for it, according to the brand’s own product specifications. Two very different kinds of longevity — orthopedic reliability and decorative craft — are being bet on as a pair here, on the theory that shoppers who’ve worn the plain version for decades will pay a considerable premium for one that finally looks dressed up.