Former All Whites Skipper Launches Wool Runners

Former All Whites Skipper Launches Wool Runners

March 2, 2016

Former All Whites skipper Tim Brown has announced the public launch of his new shoe company, Allbirds, and of its firstever shoe the revolutionary Wool Runners.

Woven in a leading Italian textile mill, the Wool Runners use the miraculous natural properties of New Zealand merino wool to create an unparalleled comfort and wear experience.

Brown and cofounder
Joey Zwillinger, a biotech engineer and renewable materials expert, spent more than two years perfecting a textile suitable for shoes using superfine merino.

“Today we’re ready to start changing the way the world thinks about shoe companies,” says Brown. “We have a design philosophy centered on simplicity and the use of innovative natural materials.”

Brown had always believed New Zealand merino would be a phenomenal material to use in shoes, and decided to explore the idea further after retiring from professional sport following the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Brown launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in 2014 to produce a test version of the Wool Runners. He reached his target in four days, and later teamed up with Zwillinger to improve the shoes’ construction and introduce additional sustainable materials, including a vegetable oilbased polyurethane insole.

Allbirds raised more than $2.7 million USD in an investment round led by New Yorkbased venture capital fund Lerer Hippeau Ventures.

Brown has plans to continue to pioneer the use of premium natural materials in other Allbirds shoe styles in the future, all with the same focus on quality craftsmanship and simple, beautiful design.

Allbirds launches today in New Zealand and the United States. Wool Runners are available online at allbirds.com in a range of colors for men and women, and come with a 30day trial.

ENDS

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