*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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