Joseph Zwillinger’s Post

Decarbonizing fashion needs a Trojan Horse. Innovating with nature can yield better products, but a product being natural can’t be the end goal. Hear more about the 'Green Trojan Horse' on Grey Matter with Michael Krasny. In the span of an hour, we covered the business of Allbirds; entrepreneurship and branding; sustainability and innovation; and a bunch more. Krasny is a masterful interviewer and this was a great conversation as a result. https://lnkd.in/gZZunK5S

Two incredible people driving the next chapter—Kelly Olmstead and Adrian Nyman have already begun to weave a renaissance Allbirds. Proud to work with them.

At risk of being accused of living in the past… I’ve been thinking a lot about the pandemic and its continued impact on the consumer, especially into 2024 and 2025. (And no, I won’t say “new normal” OR “unprecedented.” Promise.) What swings are you expecting to see with the consumer next year? Shared some of my own predictions here, but would love to hear what you think.

I had the privilege to help establish Colorwave three years ago with the goal of extending the reach of entrepreneurship to more Black, Native American, and Latin professionals, and inflecting economic impact to those communities. The results have been remarkable. If you give money to effective nonprofits, and this cause strikes you as important, please consider us this giving season. #entrepreneurship #nonprofitleadership

Despite the click bait-title, Harry Stebbings gave a great interview and got me to spill everything about the Allbirds journey on his show :) https://lnkd.in/gKtAq9zY

How do you fix the ‘most comfortable shoe in the world'? That's what TIME called the original Wool Runner when we launched it in 2016. It was our first — and for a long while — only product. It was the shoe that put Allbirds on the map. We've gone on to sell many millions of pairs, and it's continued to be a fan-favorite. So changing the Wool Runner was a harder decision than I would have thought. But the fact is that, when Tim Brown and I started Allbirds, we knew next to nothing about footwear. Suffice to say, we've learned a lot since then, and there is much we would do differently knowing what we know now. Seven years later, we've grown, the business is transforming, and our original icon deserved its own evolution. So today, we launched the Wool Runner 2 – the best shoe we’ve ever made. It retains the heritage of the original – the signature Allbirds comfort folks know and love, a modernized look, and cadre of top-notch, nature-derived materials. But this time around, we've applied fifteen major upgrades to update the design, dramatically improve the durability, and overhaul of the fit and feel by modifying the “last" (the form that shoes are built on, and the most important aspect of a shoe’s fit and comfort). We’ve extended it to offer half sizes. And, the WR2 has a 14% lower carbon footprint than its predecessor – a free gift with purchase from us, so you can feel great when you buy it, and even better when you wear it. Our long wait – for you to be able to feel the even more most comfortable shoe in the world – is over.

I wrestle with the highs and lows that come with being a leader all the time. I often think of a dear friend who is a Rabbi, who in a matter of a few hours, shifts from going to a shiva to help people mourn the loss of a loved one, to officiating a wedding. Recently, I’ve reflected on something lighter for inspiration: baseball. Bruce Bochy was the manager of my beloved SF Giants in one of our best runs in decades. He retired as a manager in 2019. When the Texas Rangers called last year, the team had lost 100 games in 2021 (of 162!).  But in his first year – this year – they landed in the World Series. It’s a season that will surely cement his place as one of the greatest managers in the history of baseball. It has a lot to do with the players, of course, but Bochy’s masterclass in leadership is hard to ignore. A quote from his players that struck me: "...He is the same guy during the winning streaks as he is during the losing streaks." I’ve experienced many humbling moments in leading Allbirds over the past two years.  Challenges are an inevitable part of any journey to do hard things, but they’re not pleasant. But I’ve grown more as a leader over these past two years than any other period in my life. The speed bumps test a daily ability to maintain objectivity, stay level-headed, be acutely self-aware, and test my resilience and determination. No leader turns things around alone. Business, like baseball, is a team sport. The Bochy School of Management puts a sharp point on my role to keep a consistent vision and strategy, care authentically for your people, and work your ass off. Watching amazing people do their best work by using this approach is a high I have the privilege to experience at Allbirds every day. And, if you ever get to throw out the first pitch of the World Series, take a lesson from 43… even if you don’t make it to home plate, make sure you’re extremely comfortable on the mound (Allbirds trail shoes have insane grip!).

Just read our operation team's update where they highlighted shipping backups in the Panama Canal due to severe drought drove the industry's prices up by 50% for a period of time. 170 ships waiting to cross Panama in August! What a great example of the hard costs of weather related impacts of climate change. https://lnkd.in/gmk4jp3P

A $500 running shoe designed to be used once and then thrown away 🤦🏻♂️ Come on Bjorn Gulden. Maybe you’re running the wrong race? https://lnkd.in/gx-xPDtX