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Allbirds launches into plant-based leather with Plant Pacer sneakers
Californian sustainable sneakers brand Allbirds has announced the launch of the ‘Plant Pacer’, a sneakers model made with 100% plastic-free plant leather.
A novelty that follows in the wake of various other sustainable materials already adopted by Allbirds, from extra-fine New Zealand merino wool to eucalyptus fibre mesh and the sugarcane-based ‘SweetFoam’, used for making shoe soles.
Plant Leather has been developed in partnership with materials innovation company Natural Fiber Welding. It is a unique material for the footwear sector, “a truly durable alternative leather, 100% plastic-free, 100% vegan, which contains only natural materials such as rubber and vegetable oils, and agricultural by-products such as rice husk and citrus peel,” as Allbirds stated in a press release.
“For way too long, fashion companies have relied on dirty synthetics and unsustainable leather, putting established ways of doing things and costs before the environment. We wanted to put an end to that, which led us to create the Plant Pacer,” said Tim Brown, co-founder and co-CEO of Allbirds. “Through the innovative use of natural materials, like Plant Leather and others, we’re going to continue stretching the limits of sustainable footwear,” he added.
The launch of Plant Leather-based sneakers underscores Allbirds’s desire to extend its presence in the lifestyle footwear category. With the Plant Pacer and its canvas version, the Canvas Pacer, Allbirds is adding to its range of more contemporary models.
In recent years, Allbirds has teamed up with style icons such as Jeff Staple and Rosie Assoulin, as well as developed shoes with a very low carbon footprint with Adidas, and expanded its retail footprint with partners like Nordstrom and Selfridges. In addition to which the brand has invested with partners like NFW to create innovative materials, “to demonstrate that sustainability and style are not incompatible,” said Brown.
San Francisco-based Allbirds operates in 35 countries with 46 monobrand stores and its own e-shop.
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