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The Birkenstock family of Bad Honnef, Germany has been caring While no shoe lasts a lifetime, with proper care and periodic repair Birkenstock can provide you with years of comfort. Here are some tips to keep your footwear looking good foryears to come. During the last decade of the 19th Century, Konrad Birkenstock designed the first flexible arch support that mirrored the shape of the foot. Karl Birkenstock took his family''s footbed concept a step further by introducing it as a sandal to the German market. Today Birkenstock come in over 100 different styles, colours and textures. Birkenstock offers comfortable quality footwear in a wide and ever expanding array of styles and prices. While no shoe lasts a lifetime, with proper care and periodic repair Birkenstock® can foam provide you with years of comfort. Here are some tips to keep your footwear looking good for years to come. Avoid extreme heat If your Birkenstocks have cork footbeds, both the cork and the soles of Birkenstock® footwear can be damaged by exposure to concentrated heat. Do not leave your shoes in closed cars on warm days and keep then away from radiators and fireplaces. If your shoes become wet, allow them to dry slowly, away from direct heat. Birkenstocks with cork footbeds come with a light coating of cork sealant which prevents them from drying out. When the cork no longer looks shiny, apply a thin coat of Birkenstock® Cork Life. What is the difference between insoles Nar, Med and Reg ? footwear comes in foam different widths. Most styles come in Narrow and Regular. The Narrow fits Narrow to Medium width feet. The Regular fits Medium to Wider width feet. Some styles only come in Medium width. The Medium is in the middle of Narrow and Regular , it fits most people but insoles if you have a very narrow or very wide foot it may not work for you. Marakesh Navy/Off White Embossed Nubuck. Nautical thong with nubuck uppers, suede liners, shock absorbing EVA soles. Papillio Collection Masai Rust Antique Leather. Simple, single strap slip on, with adjustable laces,leather uppers, cork latex footbed, shock absorbing EVA soles. From the Papillio Collection. The Classic Footbed is the base for the Birkenstock concept and can be found in most of our original foam styles. The anatomically arched Birkenstock footbed is molded in a way that the body weight is distributed evenly across the insoles entire base foam of the foot. Foot problems to the foot from unilateral or uneven pressures insoles can be prevented by our footbed system. The foot is maintained in its natural shape and the natural walking motion is supported in every step. No animal byproducts are found in the Non-Leather Alternatives line. The footbed liner is made of Birkolon (chemically stable "velon" -- a cotton and polyester weave). The footbed liners are dipped in polyurethane and they''re free of chlorine, chromium, fat and resin. They''re also waterproof. Clean them with a damp cloth. Replacement liners are available. The footbeds are a cork/latex mixture and are repairable. The soles are EVA (ethyl-vinyl acetate). I put on my black Milanos and hopped into the shower.I then got them entirely wet and I walked around the apartment to let the Birko-Flor uppers mold to the contours of my feet as they dried. I now have a "perfect fit" that molds to the contour of my feet -- an impossible feat for leather to imitate. Beware that, unlike the leather versions, the glue used to bind the Birko-Flor to the footbed sides dries hard along the arch because it can''t "sink in" to the Birko-Flor as it can with leather. I confess to a moment or two of discomfort as I tried to wear away the dried line of glue along the inside of the sandal. I wore thick socks and foam did my "shower treatment" a few times. After a week or so of everyday wear, the extra glue became more malleable and I can now go barefoot in my Birkenstock once again without brittle glue pain. The Birkenstock Non-Leather Alternatives are the most comfortable sandal or shoe I''ve ever had the pleasure to wear or own despite the initial hard glue issue and they''ll cost you around $70.00 on the street insoles.
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