The sandals that she introduced to Americans have become more popular and the business much bigger than Fraser could have predicted. What did make the difference for Fraser were these sandals made with leather, cork and a footbed the Birkenstock men invented. The company’s first sandals were released in 1963, not long before Fraser slipped them on. Fraser took the sandals back to the U.S. and wrote to the Birkenstock family asking if she could sell them to Americans. Once she had a foothold, Fraser began working out of her Bay Area home in 1967, calling her distribution company Birkenstock Footprint Sandals.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 12, 2023 20:19 UTC