I’ve been in the market for some good walking/traveling shoes, but just hadn’t found exactly what I was looking for – something comfortable, yet stylish as well. And with an upcoming trip to New Zealand fast-approaching, I needed to find something soon.

I was browsing Facebook last night and saw this picture (above) of a pair of sneakers that looked like they were made of sweatshirt material. I knew I had to investigate further, because who wouldn’t want to wear sweatshirts on their feet, am I right?!

Well I was close – these runners from Allbirds are made from superfine merino wool, sourced from a small farm in New Zealand and spun in an Italian mill. So it’s basically like wearing an expensive sweater on your feet (that’s actually not that expensive) and regulates temperature and wicks moisture at the same time. The sole is made from a proprietary blend of low-density foam called EVA (super light-weight) that is mixed with a special rubber to increase friction so you don’t slip in the rain. But what’s even better is that the shoe is machine washable so it’s super easy to keep clean and looking brand new.

I love the concept of creating an innovative fabric from a naturally occurring resource. The merino has a carbon footprint that is 60% smaller than typical synthetic materials used in shoes, and the wool is ZQ-certified, which means it meets stringent standards of sustainable farming and animal welfare. In other words, no sheep were harmed in the making of these shoes.

So I jumped online this morning to order them, and chatted with Joey (one of the founders) to make sure I was ordering the right size. I usually wear a 9.5 (sometimes 10) in sneakers, but since these shoes have a bit of stretch in them, he recommended I try the 9 first. And get this – he said if the 9’s were too small, they’d ship a pair of 10’s to my hotel in New Zealand to make sure I’d have them on my trip. How about that for great customer service?!

I can’t wait to take these out on the road and put them through the true travel test in their own land of origin. I’ll be sure to write an update on my experience with them. What do you think about these sneakers, would you give them a try?

xoxo,
Veronica