Fashion brand directory szu
Page language: English

GU vs BIRKENSTOCK: similarities and differences

Compare brand traits, similarities and differences.

Reference brand: GU Swap brands

GU

Japan Founded 2006

Trends & youth culture · Polished & dressy · Minimal & basics

BIRKENSTOCK

Germany Founded 1774

Trends & youth culture · Minimal & basics · Polished & dressy

Similarities and differences

Shared traits

  • No shared traits are available.

Different traits

  • Luxury & heritage

    BIRKENSTOCK shows a stronger emphasis

  • Trends & youth culture

    GU shows a stronger emphasis

This pair is not included in the similar brands recommendations.

Trait comparison

  • GU (solid line, circles)
  • BIRKENSTOCK (dashed line, squares)
Traits of GU and BIRKENSTOCK, shown relative to each brand.
How to read the chart

Traits farther from the centre are more prominent within each brand. The chart uses the same relative display as the brand profile. Area does not indicate brand quality or absolute differences between brands.

Traits by category

Bar lengths show how prominent each trait is within each brand.

  • GU
  • BIRKENSTOCK
Minimal & basics
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Polished & dressy
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Luxury & heritage
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Avant-garde & designer
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Decoration & playfulness
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Streetwear
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Trends & youth culture
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Sporty & sportswear
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand
Outdoor & functional
GU：Relative prominence within the brand
BIRKENSTOCK：Relative prominence within the brand

Basic information

Field
GU
BIRKENSTOCK
Country Japan Germany
Founded 2006 1774
Category Clothing Footwear
Other categories Bags Accessories Footwear Lifestyle products Accessories Beauty and cosmetics Lifestyle products

— indicates information that is not available.

Brand profiles

Brand lines

GU

No information is available.

BIRKENSTOCK

Collaborations

GU

  • 2025-03-14

    UNDERCOVER

    The first collection, marking its relaunch as “UG,” is scheduled to launch on March 14, 2025.

  • 2021-02-22

    MIHARA YASUHIRO

    In 2021, it announced a collaborative collection featuring remake-style jackets and sneakers.

GU collaborations

BIRKENSTOCK

  • 2025-07-18

    Chrome Hearts

    In 2025, Birkenstock Boston sandals featuring silver components by Chrome Hearts were offered to VIPs through Justin Reed.

  • 2025-06-06

    BEAMS

    The third BEAMS-exclusive “ZURICH” release. It features a bone pattern, orange box packaging, and a black color scheme, and was released in June 2025.

  • 2022-06-01

    Dior

    The first collaboration under Dior by Birkenstock. Models featuring the Tokio mule and Milano sandal, adapted to Dior specifications, went on sale in June 2022.

  • 2021-07-08

    JIL SANDER

    JIL SANDER+ and BIRKENSTOCK collaborated for 2021 AW. Four existing sandal styles, including Arizona and Milano, were given JIL SANDER-style designs, with distinctive materials and hardware.

  • 2020-09-03

    VALENTINO

    The collaboration with BIRKENSTOCK includes two Arizona styles from 2019 (red and black VLTN logos) and a camouflage-pattern model from the second release in 2020.

  • 2019-02-08

    Rick Owens

    Presented as “Season 2” at the SS19 show in 2019. Models such as Arizona and Rotterdam were featured in new materials and details at a pop-up in January, with online sales beginning in February.

BIRKENSTOCK collaborations

Brands similar to GU

View all

Brands similar to BIRKENSTOCK

View all