adidas x Allbirds Is an Industry-Changing Collaboration
Model: FUTURECRAFT.FOOTPRINT
Release Date: May 2021
Price: TBC
Buy: adidas Creators Club
What We’re Saying: Pioneering brands adidas and Allbirds have come together for a groundbreaking partnership in the name of sustainability. Having announced the collaboration a year ago, the two companies are finally ready to introduce their debut product: the FUTURECRAFT.FOOTPRINT.
Designed under FUTURECRAFT — adidas' innovative division aimed at shaping the future of sport — the FUTURECRAFT.FOOTPRINT is a revolutionary running shoe with a carbon footprint of 2.94kg CO2e, which is recognized as a personal best for both brands. By using an alternative method of manufacturing, adidas and Allbirds were able to create the shoe with 63 percent fewer emissions.
“Our partnership with Allbirds is a beacon of what can happen when competing brands from the same industry see the possibilities in coming together to design,” says Brian Grevy, Executive Board Member Global Brands at adidas. “By truly co-creating and providing each other with open access to knowledge and resources – such as Allbirds’ knowledge of carbon calculation and experience with natural materials, and adidas’ capabilities in manufacturing and performance footwear – this is a call-to-action for other brands, and a milestone in the sports industry achieving carbon neutrality.”
adidas and Allbirds adhered to a ‘less is more’ approach during the design process of the FUTURECRAFT.FOOTPRINT, only using what was absolutely necessary to achieve the desired performance benefits. Two of the brands' signature technologies are at the heart of the build, as the midsole of the shoe is based on adidas Lightstrike and reimagined with Allbirds’ sugarcane-based SweetFoam, ultimately resulting in a low carbon natural component.
The upper is also the product of material collaboration, crafted from 70 percent recycled polyester and 30 percent natural Tencel — a material made from wood pulp — coming together to deliver a lightweight upper that meets performance expectations all while reducing carbon impact.
“Both the upper and the outside construction are inspired by the Tangram Principle, with all individual parts in their entirety achieving as little scrap as possible in production in order to reduce waste,” Jamie McLellan, Head of Design at Allbirds, revealed.
Only 100 pairs of the FUTURECRAFT.FOOTPRINT will be released to adidas Creators Club members this month, followed by a FW21 launch of 10,000 pairs and a wider release in SS22.
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