All Birds’ popular wool runners which will be available in their new Auckland store. Image supplied.
Allbirds are coming home, with the sustainable footwear brand opening their first New Zealand store in Britomart, Auckland on Thursday 15th August. Ex-pat Tim Brown co-founded Allbirds in 2014 after seeing an opportunity to raise the profile of his homeland’s hero resource, Merino Wool. While merino is known for its incredible natural properties it had never been used for footwear before. Tim organised a research grant from the NZ government to develop a durable Merino Wool textile built for footwear and after promising testing, Allbirds was created.
Tim teamed up with San Francisco renewables expert, Joey Zwillinger, and fellow Kiwi Jamie McLellan to put the first Allbirds Wool Runners into production and the rest is history. Now known as ‘the world’s most comfortable footwear’ Allbirds has gained a global loyal following for its sustainable materials, clever design and incredible comfort. Allbirds have also added Tree Runners made from tree fibre and shoes made from an open-sourced SweetFoam™, a revolutionary sugarcane-based shoe sole. Most recently the brand introduced Tree Breezers which are a light and comfy ballet flat style shoe.
While they have been available to NZ via their online store, this is the first time Allbirds will be available at a retail store with the new store comprising nearly 150 square metres of space. It will offer the entire Allbirds range including the brand’s signature Merino Wool Runners, along with limited-edition Auckland inspired laces: Waiheke Island Teal, Light Path Magenta, and West Coast Black Sand. The store was designed in collaboration with Allbirds’s Head of Design, Jamie McLellan, who has crafted custom furniture to reflect the airy space and highlight basalt floors in a nod to the Auckland area.
Shoppers are invited to enjoy the Allbirds coffee cart in Takutai Square, Britomart offering free coffee to the public who bring their own keep-cup, during store hours from Thursday 15th – Sunday 18th August. Welcome home Allbirds.
Images supplied.