My idea of summer dress shoes is the white Tretorn sneaker with navy trim.
It has been for decades.
Allbirds? No one I know wears them. (For a good reason: As the New York Times reports, they’re the official shoe of Silicon Valley, where, sadly, I know almost no one.) My 16-year-old daughter is all over fashion –– she joined a focus group so she could get a free pair of Yeezy sneakers that are designed by Kanye West and sell for $345 — but she had never heard of them. But Blair Sabol, who has known everything about fashion forever and, better, likes very little of what she sees, is a fan.
Allbirds is a two-year-old major fashion trend of a shoe — made from knit wool and castor bean oil. The two styles (lounger and runner) are unisex and everything is $95 (kids styles are $49-$85). This is a Silicon Valley chic story since one of the originators is a young San Franciscan entrepreneur and the whole venture capitalist biz has a philosophy of green and clean and simple. The shoes have been described as “the right amount of nothing.” Meaning comfy and no socks required.
Blair is one fan among many, it seems.
So I went to the Allbirds web site. And I bought a pair. They’re said to be “the most comfortable shoes ever made.” Guess what? They are. [TO SEARCH THE SITE AND BUY SHOES FROM ALLBIRDS.COM, CLICK HERE.]
The creators are Tim Brown, who grew up in New Zealand and played professional soccer there, and Joey Zwillinger, an engineer and renewables expert. Tim knew all about New Zealand’s 29 million merino sheep…
… and he knew that Merinos are the source of some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep. Why not use it for shoes?
The founders had Good Values: “The shoe industry prioritizes profit over principles (and comfort). We let form follow function, removing unnecessary stitches, colorful branding, and unwanted shoe-tech. We strive to make beautiful shoes using considered design—meaning every raw material is thoughtfully chosen for its unique properties, sustainability, and its end of life.”
They had a sense of humor: “We named the company Allbirds because it’s so remote, in fact, that when man first arrived, there were all birds, no mammals. The ‘Allbirds’ name is a nod to our belief that we need to adopt a more thoughtful approach to the way we live.”
They’re the Warby Parker of shoes — they make a great product that’s easy to buy and care for.
— Allbirds makes shoes for men, women and kids.
— They offer a very limited number of styles and colors.
— The size guide is simple genius.
— You can exchange or return a pair in 30 days, even if you’ve worn them.
— Socks are optional.
— They’re easy to care for: machine wash, air dry. Every few months, replace the insole.
— And they keep it simple. In addition to the website, they have only three stores, New York, San Francisco, Toronto.
If only more of life were this simple.
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Previously published on The Head Butler.
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