The Birkenstock Boston Clogs: Comfort or Class

The Birkenstock Boston Clogs: Comfort or Class?

By Emma Gott

As the weather gets colder, Nashua High School North students are swapping their shoes for something a little more in season: the Birkenstock Boston clogs. The chunky clog style is popular this fall, and can be found on many students’ feet.

The Birkenstock website describes the show as “Originally designed as a house and work shoe, the Boston has become a coveted it-piece in fashion circles over the last several years.” The clog is mainly a comfort shoe, so what makes it trendy?

Often, we see trend cycles that center around a valuable item. Birkenstock may pride itself on making comfortable shoes, but this trend could be another way to showcase wealth through clothing.

According to the Birkenstock website, the prices of any Boston-style clog ranges from $120 to $230 depending on the type of materials used. Currently, their suede leather style is out of stock in almost every size.

There are additional stores selling their version of the clog for a fraction of the price, such as Kohl’s or Amazon.

North senior Adrianna Sullivan took advantage of one of these stores and bought a shoe similar to the Birkenstock Boston Clogs at Kohl’s for $49.99. When asked why she decided to buy the Kohl's version instead of the Birkenstocks, she said she wanted to get them for the style but could not justify the price.

“I think they go with a lot of things, they're easy to wear I guess. I don’t feel the need to like, take care of them super well because they were so cheap, and they still have the same effect as the originals,” Sullivan said.

Miranda McCannon, another senior at North, does not own a pair of the clogs but is familiar with the Birkenstock brand. Responding to whether or not she would purchase a pair of Birkenstocks, McCannon explains that “Birkenstocks are just so expensive, and I’m not a big like, person to spend a lot of money on shoes, so I would probably get a knockoff if I had to buy Birkenstocks.” Many students shy away from buying the name brand because of the price tag attached to it.

Natalee McInerny, also a North senior, owns a pair of Birkenstock Boston Clogs. Her reasoning for purchasing the shoes was “becuase I really like Birkenstocks and wanted to try a new style… and I wanted comfy and warm shoes to easily slip on and take off during basketball season.”

While McInerny expresses her need for comfortable shoes, she acknowledges that the shoes might not be the best option if you were looking for comfort on a budget and talks about how “[The birkenstocks] are comfy but there are definitely comfier shoes out there for much less of a price.”

Whether or not the clogs seem to be worth the money, they are popular among the students of Nashua High School North this fall!