The Tamesis
Danielle Frankel Hirsch thinks about the weight of her responsibility on behalf of her bride every day. Not to ensure they feel their best on their big day (which they do in her beautiful work), but to ensure that when future generations look back at family wedding photos, her work accurately represents the bridal attire of 2026. “What are we doing today to mark what future brides will look like?” she mused, holed up in her New York home on a snowy day over Zoom.
It’s a big question, and she has the answer in a new collaboration with Birkenstock. Born out of a lifelong love for the brand, and in response to the growing wedding trend of brides looking to be “more eclectic” and like a “real version” of themselves, this six-piece style may be the ultimate secret to ensuring longevity on the dance floor while looking effortless. There are the usual Arizona, Madrid and Boston styles, except they’re barely recognizable, decorated with pearls, chiffon flowers and, in some cases, hand-painted details made in the South of France that can be customized to the wearer’s needs. In an age where a new collaboration lands in our inboxes every five minutes, this is genius.
“Brides and grooms are taking control and looking for authenticity,” says Frankel Hirsch. He showed Birkenstock about 100 sketches, all of which touched on the customer’s desire to look slightly “less chaotic, but still super classy.” Cork-latex footbed connoisseurs are speechless when they see her romantic, artisanal twist on utilitarian sandals. Frankel Hirsch recalls the instant chemistry between the two designers: “We were working for the same woman, but she never wore these pieces at the same time. It was an interesting concept to bring them together.”
The event introduced another element: haute couture. Frankel Hirsch flew her family to Paris for two weeks to shoot a salon-style campaign that was inspired by wedding photos from the ’50s and ’60s and was meant to inspire joy: “It’s hard to engage an audience for more than a moment, and I really wanted people to feel surrounded by the photos,” she says of the photo shoot, with the same precision as Danielle Frankel’s bride planning her wedding.
Frankel Hirsch’s young family has been with her every step of the way. When Danielle and her husband, Josh Hirsch, the brand’s chief executive, first visited Birkenstock’s German factory (all potential collaborators are invited to learn how to make shoes before trying and redesigning them), it was the last week she was allowed to fly before giving birth to her son. Now, he is almost three years old. This through line is at the heart of the collection, which Frankel Hirsch hopes customers will continue to wear long after the celebrations are over. Birkenstocks look best when they are loved and lived in, right?
