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