Allbirds is known for innovative and sustainable footwear. The label conquered the sneaker market in just a few years and won over an international clientele with its minimalist designs with a small ecological footprint.
origins
Allbirds was founded in 2016 by former soccer player Tim Brown and industrial engineer Joey Zwillinger.
development
The brand, originally launched as a digital label, entered stationary retail for the first time in 2017 with a store in San Francisco. Just a few months later, Allbirds opened its first store outside the United States in London and launched its European e-commerce site at the same time. Subsequently, the label also entered the Chinese market. Instead of expanding with a drop-shipping model that relinquishes control over the flow of goods and customer experience, Allbirds decided to set up local office buildings, warehouses and retail locations to accommodate all customers "exceptional experience,” said Sandeep Verman, Managing Director of Allbirds in Europe, in a 2019 interview with FashionUnited.
After just three years, Allbirds was valued at $1.4 billion, sold over a million pairs of shoes worldwide and secured $77 million in investments.
Current
Allbirds recently presented its first sneaker made from plant-based leather, as well as a sustainable running shoe. Frequently part of collaborations, the label makes its insights available to both customers and competitors – pursuing the vision where the fashion industry “shares the goal of minimizing our impact”. At the same time, Allbirds continues to expand its presence in North American retail. At the beginning of 2022, the label launched a resale concept that enables its customers to return Allbirds sneakers in selected stores and thus make them available for resale on a site managed by Allbirds.
