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Allbirds

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Allbirds, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryFootwear
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
FoundersTim Brown
Joey Zwillinger
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California
RevenueIncrease $100.2 Million(2019)[1]
Number of employees
350
Websiteallbirds.com

Allbirds is a New Zealand-American company that designs and sells footwear.[2] Allbirds' first shoe was the Wool Runner, which is made from New Zealand superfine merino wool.[3] The company claims to keep the brand as eco-friendly as possible[4] and is a certified B Corporation.[5] In March 2018, the company started offering their footwear with eucalyptus tree fiber.[6] In 2020 they launched their first apparel line for men and women made of sustainable materials.[7]

In October 2018, the company raised a $50M Series C, bringing its total valuation to $1.4B.[8]

History

Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown[9] got the idea for the company while he was vice captain of the New Zealand football team. He had previously attended business school and used to make leather shoes for friends but was aware of how uncomfortable they were.[3] In 2014, he received a research grant from the New Zealand wool industry to engineer a sneaker. He then launched his idea on Kickstarter, raising $119,000 in five days.[10][2] After launching on Kickstarter, Brown teamed up with Joey Zwillinger, a biotech engineer and renewable materials expert.[10] The co-founders began developing their process and officially launched Allbirds in March 2016.[11][10]

During their first year in business, the company raised $7.25 million from investors including Maveron, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, and other firms.[12][4]

The name Allbirds is a reference to how New Zealand has almost no native land mammals. It was a land of "all birds".[13]

In December 2017, Allbirds sued Steve Madden, alleging that the company's Traveler shoes look nearly identical to its wool runners.[14]

As of 2017, the company had 50 employees in their San Francisco headquarters, 40 employees at the Nashville warehouse and 350 contractors in a factory in South Korea.[3]

By October 2018, Allbirds sold a stake to investors at a valuation of $1.4 billion.[15][16]

In May 2020, Allbirds announced a partnership with Adidas.[17]

Products

The company launched with one product, the Wool Runners, casual sneakers.[18] The company has since expanded to offer other footwear, including running shoes[19] and flip flops.[20]

Partnerships

Congressman Jared Huffman speaking at Allbirds in San Francisco in 2020.

Allbirds has collaborated with other brands to produce limited edition products, including Outdoor Voices and Nordstrom.[21][22]

Retail

As of January 2021, Allbirds has retail stores in countries including New Zealand, the United States, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.[23]

References

  1. ^ Albert-Deitch, Cameron (4 December 2018). "Comfy Shoes Helped Allbirds Become a $1.4 Billion Company, but It's Never Been Just About Shoes". Inc.com.
  2. ^ a b "The World's Most Comfortable Shoes Are Made of Super-Soft Wool". Time. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Bowles, Nellie (11 August 2017). "To Fit Into Silicon Valley, Wear These Wool Shoes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b Findling, Deborah (1 January 2017). "This eco-friendly sneaker is attracting celebrities without the benefit of a big brand name". CNBC. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  5. ^ "These Sneakers Are Affordable, Sustainable, and Genuinely Stylish". Esquire. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  6. ^ MacLellan, Lila (15 March 2018). "Allbirds, maker of Silicon Valley's "it" sneakers, is now making shoes from trees". Quartz. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  7. ^ Business, Clare Duffy, CNN. "Maker of insanely popular shoes moves into eco-friendly clothing". CNN. Retrieved 25 October 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Copeland, Rob (11 October 2018). "Trendy Sneaker Startup Allbirds Laces Up $1.4 Billion Valuation". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  9. ^ "We tried 'the world's most comfortable shoes' to see if they're as great as everyone says they are". Business Insider. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "Allbirds is Shaking Up the Sneaker Market With a Pair of Wool Shoes". Observer. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  11. ^ Coscarelli, Alyssa (27 December 2016). "The Comfiest Sneakers Ever Aren't What You'd Expect". Refinery29. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  12. ^ Roof, Katie. "Allbirds raises $7.25 million, unveils new shoe colors". TechCrunch. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  13. ^ Jr, Tom Huddleston (18 December 2018). "How Allbirds went from Silicon Valley fashion staple to a $1.4 billion sneaker start-up". CNBC. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  14. ^ Spellings, Sarah (13 December 2017). "Steve Madden Sued by Sustainable Start-up". The Cut. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  15. ^ Copeland, Rob (11 October 2018). "Trendy Sneaker Startup Allbirds Laces Up $1.4 Billion Valuation". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  16. ^ Copeland, Rob. "Allbirds, the trendy shoe startup, now valued at $1.4 billion". MarketWatch. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  17. ^ Farra, Emily. "Adidas and Allbirds Are Joining Forces—And Rewriting the Rules of Competition". Vogue. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  18. ^ Vella, Matt (1 March 2016). "The World's Most Comfortable Shoes Are Made of Super-Soft Wool". Time. Time Magazine. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  19. ^ Verry, Peter (28 April 2020). "Allbirds Is Now Making Running Shoes". Footwear News. Footwear News. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  20. ^ LeSavage, Halie (1 August 2018). "Allbirds Just Released Its First Sandals". Glamour. Glamour. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  21. ^ Cleary, Alison Syrett (16 November 2017). "This Allbirds x Outdoor Voices Collab is a Match Made in Athleisure Heaven". InStyle. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  22. ^ Phillips, Kami (12 April 2018). "Nordstrom Now Sells Allbirds, the Cute and Comfy Sneakers Hilary Duff and More Celebs Love". People. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  23. ^ "Allbirds Stores - Come Try Us On For Size". Allbirds. Retrieved 15 March 2019.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Allbirds.
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