Shoe Start-up Allbirds Bets That Simple Is the New Sexy
*By Michael Teich*
Gaining a step on established industry giants like Nike and Adidas can be daunting for the little guys, but the San Francisco-based shoemaker Allbirds has gained a small but promising foothold, said the Wall Street Journal fashion editor Jacob Gallagher.
The sneaker company prides itself on producing the "most comfortable shoe in the world," and claims to have sold 1 million of its unassuming kicks since 2016. Though the powerhouse global athletic brands tout collaborations with flashy designers including Kanye West and Alexander Wang, Allbirds has cozied up to shoppers with just three, simple unisex styles of casual shoes and streamlined designs.
Allbirds is "a shoe that thrives by being as nothing as possible" and is "the white T-shirt of sneakers," said Gallagher.
He tributes the early success of Allbirds to its embrace of Normcore minimalism. Consumers are gravitating toward more comfortable products and dressing more casually, which works for Allbirds, Gallagher said.
If trends move away from monochrome simplicity towards flashier, more colorful styles, the two-year-old Allbirds may have to adapt to survive.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/shoe-start-up-allbirds-bets-that-simple-is-the-new-sexy).
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Bruce Willis attends a movie premiere in New York on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. Nearly a year after Bruce Willis’ family announced that he would step away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, his family says his “condition has progressed.” In a statement posted Thursday, the 67-year-old actor’s family said Willis has a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
