Our Story | Sustainable Shoes & Apparel | Allbirds (2024)

FAQs

What went wrong with Allbirds? ›

While Allbirds had early success, it ran into trouble when it veered away from its original styles. Most notably, an expansion into running shoes and apparel a few years ago bombed with customers because of poor-quality products and stiff competition from larger companies like Lululemon and Nike.

SIMPLICITY IN DESIGN

No flashy logos. No senseless details. Just the world's most comfortable shoes, made naturally and designed practically. It's that simple.

Allbirds Women's Wool Runners

Consumers say "it literally feels like you're walking on clouds when you're wearing them," and "they're the comfiest pair of sneakers I own." The only downside? A few said the wool made their feet sweat in warmer weather. Most users say the shoes run true to size.

Allbirds Lawsuit & PETA Call-Out

Both the lawsuit and PETA believe it measures the carbon footprint of each product based on materials, manufacturing, product use, but that it fails to measure the environmental impact of wool production on water usage, eutrophication, and land occupation.

Footwear: South Korea - Our shoes are hand-assembled in Busan, South Korea, which at one time had the nickname of “Shoe City.” China - Our partners work out of a China-based factory in Shenzhen, where knitting and hand-assembly takes place.

The Wool Runners and Tree Runners are Allbirds' classic styles, and some of the most comfortable sneakers out there. The sneakers are particularly flexible and supportive, and truly engineered for all-day comfort. They're the perfect type of shoe for city trekking, day trips or long walks.

Learning from its mistakes, the company is returning its focus to its core customers, who are a “largely affluent” group of 30- to 40-year-old men and women who are interested in an active lifestyle in urban exploration.

The birds — er, Allbirds — are singing a sweet, sweet song. The cushy shoe brand that celebrity moms like Hilary Duff, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, and Blake Lively have trusted for years just quietly went on sale. Even their exact style, aka the Wool Runners, is available for less.

Allbirds have ample softness and comfort for that luscious barefoot wear, but keep in mind that they aren't specifically designed for going sockless all the time. If you choose to forgo socks, rest assured that our breathable wool uppers and odor-resistant insoles will keep your feet comfortable and fresh-feeling.

One thing that both of the podiatrists we spoke with brought up is the potential limited durability of the Allbirds shoes, as compared to other brands. "If you are looking for a shoe that is going to be able to handle a significant amount of wear and tear, Allbirds may not be the best choice for you," Cunha says.

What is the lawsuit against Allbirds? ›

Allbirds, Inc. Description: Class action lawsuit alleging that shoe company made misleading claims regarding the environmental impacts of its wool shoes as well as misleading animal welfare claims.

All of Allbirds shoes fit true to size for most customers. For our whole size shoes, if you have wide feet or are between sizes, we suggest you size up for all styles. For our running shoes, if you have wide feet or prefer a roomier fit to accommodate toe splay, we suggest going up a half size.

Plaintiff alleged Allbirds's animal welfare claims are misleading because “[e]conomic realities dictate – and require – that all sheep bred for wool are also slaughtered and sold for their meat,” and investigations of more than 100 large-scale wool operations have revealed inhumane conditions.

Allbirds' share price has plummeted more than 90 percent since its IPO in November 2021. Its dismal stock performance reflects the brand's declining sales in the past year following an expansion into activewear and running shoes.

Despite recently launching an updated version of this shoe in the form of the Wool Runners 2 (more below), Allbirds will continue to offer the original silhouette indefinitely, as it's an incredibly popular style.

The company lost focus, unsure if it was selling to sneakerheads or soccer moms, said the people, who are familiar with Allbirds' product development and marketing. A key business assumption, that consumers' concerns about the environment would drive them to buy sustainable products, has been a tough sell.

On a call with stock analysts, executives announced a sweeping four-part reorganization, including slowing the pace of store openings, adding more wholesale partners, and working to "reignite product and brand." Co-CEO Joey Zwillinger also said some of the company's marketing veered too far away from what Allbirds ...

The direct-to-consumer (D2C) shoe company fell short of full-year sales and profit targets, but its leadership believes with some adjustments, it has a chance of recovering. The company generated $297.8 million in net revenue for the fiscal year 2022, a 7.3% improvement over the year before.