Footwear maker Allbirds has a new shoe out today. The company's latest design doesn't just refresh Allbirds' casual silhouette, it also utilizes a unique new material—a textile spun from eucalyptus fiber.
Yes, shoes made from wood pulp. The novelty is reflected in the names of the shoes in the new collection. There's the Tree Runner, modeled after a jogging shoe, and a new spin on the low-profile boat shoe, the Tree Skipper. Both are available today on the Allbirds website[1] for $95 in men's and women's sizes.
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Allbirds already has two shoe styles and a line of kicks for kids, all of which have uppers made from Merino wool. So while the Trees' wood-pulp construction is a departure from the animal-based textiles the company's known for, it still fits in with Allbirds' commitment to natural and sustainable materials.
The company developed its new textile in-house. It uses eucalyptus tree pulp, which is spun into a fiber then knit into a mesh fabric with the familiar softness and stretch of a cotton-polyester blend. The results are impressive; you'd never guess you're wearing Koala food. Like wool, the eucalyptus textile wicks moisture away from the foot—an advantage in any shoe but especially in Allbirds, which are intended to be worn sockless.
Allbirds
The company sent some sample pairs for me and my colleague to wear. The new Tree shoes are as comfortable as the wool variants, though the uppers appear thinner and feel stretchier. The breathable mesh construction makes them less insulating, though they still have the cozy wool footbed. The Tree Runner is basically the same design as the old Wool Runner[2], with a four-eye lacing system and a hefty sole. The new Tree...