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Stylish Runners Made From New Zealand Merino Wool

Wool is no longer just for cozy sweaters and blankets, it’s now an ideal textile for shoes. Runners, to be specific. Tim Brown, a former professional soccer player, and biotech engineer Joey Zwilinger have spent over two years developing a one-of-a-kind material that utilizes superfine New Zealand merino wool for shoes. With that, they launched Allbirds’ Wool Runners.

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What stands out most about these runners, besides them being made of soft wool, is that they’re also easy to clean and don’t require socks. The moisture-wicking properties of the wool means that your foot breathes more easily and odor is minimized — in fact it’s better to wear these runners without socks. Your foot gets the full, cozy experience of being surrounded by wool and foam. When they get dirty, clean them easily by throwing them in the washing machine. One of the goals of the brand is to develop high-quality shoes using as many premium natural materials as possible and reducing our carbon footprint.

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Besides the shoe itself, the co-founders took a more unusual approach to its packaging as well. The shoebox is also a shipper to reduce waste. The box was designed by Red Antler, with trailing illustrations throughout the box by Toby Morris.

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After surviving a quarter life crisis, Nanette went from working in healthcare canadian meds to pursuing her loves of design, food and writing. During the day she works in social media marketing, by night she writes for Design Milk. You can find more of her work at nanettewong.com.