The Birkenstock sandals JW Anderson and Kanye West are hooked on

The glow-up of the modest mules has found this footwear design on the feet of fashion's coolest names

By MAYA MENON - 24 May 2020

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British designer Jonathan Anderson taking a bow in an ultimate no-frills outfit – complete with a pair of mules – at his Fall/Winter 2020 show in London.

While kicks of your dad sneaker and athleisure variety have reigned supreme over the streetwear crowd over the past decade, the last year has seen a resurgence of a different kind of It footwear.

Cue the Boston mules by Birkenstocks – a folksy open-heeled style that looks like a cross between a pair of clogs and slippers. Created in 1977 by the German footwear label, this cozy slip-on design has become a stamp of cool for the fashionable crowd lately.

The shoes are almost orthopedic (which make them ironic) and the clog-like silhouette spells hippy chic (who doesn’t love some vintage vibes?). In short, they are kind of weird and fabulous.

Earlier this year, Kanye West was spotted in a pair of Bostons – shocker, not trainers – which he paired with a Haider Ackermann suit.

When JW Anderson took his bow at London Fashion Week this February, the man wore a version from his namesake label which riffed on the Boston’s design right down to its cork soles; he paired them with jeans and a hoodie.

Then last week, the world got a preview of the first shoe design from the highly-anticipated LV² menswear line that Louis Vuitton is designing with Japanese streetwear legend Nigo, when the head of men’s footwear design at Louis Vuitton, Mathias Patillon, shared a photo on his Instagram. You’ve guessed it, they were a pair of mules.

Still not convinced of their appeal? Browse our selections below.