This post is hypothetical. Seeing the new Couriers sneaker in the “panda” colorway inspired me to play with this concept. It isn’t outside of the realm of possibility considering Allbirds partnered with adidas on a sneaker.
Source: Men’s Couriers – Natural Black (Natural White Sole)
The Couriers creates a compartment for Allbirds, but a compartment has to be placed in an area where people want to find out what’s inside. The new Couriers could carry the brand to a different consumer, but the model doesn’t appear in marketing campaigns and the company appears hellbent on being the safest brand on the planet. With a share price hovering around 1.11 safe is the most dangerous thing for them.
The panda color for the Courier lands in the current arena for the most popular color blocking in sneaker culture. It allows for interesting looks and opportunities. Since most designers are now aligned with sneaker brands, pairing the Courier Panda with an FOG (adidas), ALD (New Balance) or Reese Cooper (Merrell) would feel forced. Since Nike has owned the panda color with their Dunk, why not play around with a juxtaposition: Allbirds x Nike gear.
Allbirds’ own apparel lacks any real depth or creativity. It’s not adventurous and doesn’t inspire a top-down purchase by a consumer. Nike’s extensive design catalog is readily available, and styling Allbirds’ Couriers with Nike gear opens the door to a new consumer especially since Allbirds don’t really have logos to interrupt the head-to-toe look.
The Problem
The issue with aligning Allbirds and Nike is one company is built on sustainability and one is built on growth. Nike can’t be about sustainability although they try. This is a collab which wouldn’t happen, but these images are funnels. Allbirds needs to let their designers run free. If apparel is going to be created make it better. The company now has two solid silhouettes which can become stars. What do you think of the new Couriers?
One Shoe isn’t Immediate Course Correction, but the Allbirds Tree Flyer 2 Shows Direction