Vırginia Chadwyck-Healey Dressing for Britain
How an eco-friendly trainer is helping me reduce my footprint – carbon, that is
Picture the scene. It’s Christmas 2019 and we are in the midst of a family gathering. A bustling house, noise and laughter coming from every room. No one has heard of Zoom, and the only masks are those worn by children entertaining the crowd.
On the sofa sits my mother-in-law, who quietly unwraps a shoebox, my gift to her. Will she or won’t she like what’s inside? Have I gone too far in the give-your-mother-in-law-more-than-ascented-candle challenge I set myself? Tissue paper removed, one shoe is brought out. And… Phew! She loves them. More than that, she wears them.
Today is about Allbirds. The brand that, this Christmas just gone, I also gifted to my husband – only 10 sizes bigger. Allbirds is a “one style suits all” type of brand. If you think these are ugly shoes, I would have to say I was in the same camp when I first saw them. But when “ugly” shoes fit as comfortably as this, well, then the ugly duckling blossoms into a swan. I cannot take mine off. If you’re still not convinced, then perhaps consider how the brand began.
Co-founders Tim Brown (a former New Zealand international footballer) and Joey Zwillinger (American biotech engineer and renewables expert) set out to create a “simple” trainer that wouldn’t harm the environment. I ask Brown to sum it up: “At Allbirds we make shoes and apparel from renewable natural materials like ZQ-certified merino wool, eucalyptus tree fibre and sugar cane. Our mission is to tread lighter on the planet and inspire our customers to live life in better balance.” Convinced?
Tackling the footwear market dominated by the likes of Nike and Adidas is no mean feat (excuse the pun). But brands such as Allbirds are shifting the perception that just because something is sustainable doesn’t mean it is less good. But as consumers, how do we sort fact from “greenwashing”?
“We know that sustainability can be nebulous for customers,” says Brown, “which is why it’s important we’re honest and clear about where we’re succeeding and where there’s more work left to do... Any [carbon] footprint bigger than zero is too high… but we’re intent on doing our bit to drive down our pollution and inspire others to do so.” Getting product on the feet of Barack Obama, Ashton Kutcher and Emma Watson is certainly one way to inspire. Or having eco-conscious Leonardo DiCaprio as an investor might just be the ultimate accolade for any green-focused start-up.
Simplicity is the brand’s answer to reducing (environmentally unfriendly) logos and metalwork details. Some of the most aspirational brands in the world are unbranded. They leave onlookers wondering. For my husband, who has “given up” all branded items (midlife crisis or confidence in his own style, I can’t tell) Allbirds is a great addition to his working-from-a-freezing-home wardrobe. I have suggested the Mizzle style to two friends working long hours in the NHS. Why not try the Tree Dasher if you’re escaping the house for some fresh air? In a charmingly confident manner Brown tells me, “Time magazine named it one of the best 100 inventions of 2020, which was a big moment for us.”
Allbirds is expanding into ready-towear fashion, encompassing all the positive attributes you’d expect (the white jacket above uses animal-friendly filling and natural and recycled fabrics for the shell), but to complete the look today, I chose British brand BAM. It tracks its behaviour as a brand “from the moment the crop is harvested through to the moment it’s delivered to our warehouse in Devon”. This isn’t so they can brag or greenwash us, but so they can see where and how they too can then improve. Small steps, big impact.
New year’s resolutions come and go, but we can ensure longer-lasting change just by readdressing some of the choices we make – such as where to buy a pair of shoes. Good brands like this deserve our attention. Just ask my mother-in-law. @ginniech00