Allbirds Teams Up With Pantone for Wool Cruiser Sneaker Launch

Allbirds is dipping its toes into color with a new assortment of its Wool Cruiser model.

The footwear company is offering a complete spectrum of 19 colors in the court-style sneaker – from punchy reds to maritime blues.

And to push the message of color one step further, Allbirds teamed up with the Pantone Color Institute to curate a palette of five exclusive shades. These collaborative colors include Sapphire Blue, Zesty Citron, Golden Sunshine, Vibrant Blossom and Granite Grey.

As for the shoe itself, the upper is made with wool sourced from a recycling process that utilizes post-consumer knitwear and is blended with recycled polyester. The company noted that the shoe also features a dual-density Featherbed cushioned memory foam insole as well as a wool-blend collar and wool tongue lining.

Adrian Nyman, chief design officer at Allbirds, told FN that this project is part of the company’s efforts to “reset” some of its design ethos.

“We wanted to create something that served as a beautiful canvas for color,” Nyman said. “And naturally, when we thought of who the color authority was, Pantone was our first choice. So, when we thought about this new chapter of Allbirds, bringing this really bold, powerful spectrum of color, it just felt like a really natural fit to partner with Pantone to celebrate the beauty of natural color.”

Nyman added that Allbirds wanted to emulate the color wheel with its breadth of options. “The idea was to have a range of colors that allow our customers to express themselves,” the shoe executive said. “Color is a great way for people to communicate to the world how they feel. You can choose to wear bright colors one day when you’re feeling happy, while darker colors convey a different message. So, there is a shoe here for everyone, which we love.”

Laurie Pressman, vice president at Pantone Color Institute, echoed this sentiment. “We thought partnering with Allbirds was a great marriage and a great way to be able to introduce their customers to color,” Pressman told FN. “We love the fact that Allbirds is using color as a way to amplify their customer’s self-expression, so we were more than happy to work on this project together.”

Pressman added that Pantone’s goal was to tell a well-rounded color story and to tap into different “personas.”

“Whether you considered yourself a connoisseur or a sartorialist, or you considered yourself a minimalist or somebody who wants to make a bold statement, we framed our color choices off of different archetypes,” Pressman noted. “We did this in tandem with looking at what’s happening in trends, looking at color psychology and what would resonate with Allbirds’ target audience.”

But ultimately, this project is really about taking Allbirds — which has been challenged and recently lowered its annual guidance — into the future. “We looked at this release as how can Allbirds be a little bit of the antidote to a kind of ordinary world,” Nyman added. So, we are really going back to our roots of being a bit more disruptive and exciting.”

The Wool Cruiser, which retails for $100, will be available online and in select stores beginning Sept. 9.