Dive Brief:
- Joining other DTC footwear brands in adding more variety to its product assortment, Birdies, a San Francisco-based footwear brand, on Tuesday debuted its first lace-up sneaker styles. To promote the products, Birdies launched a "What Are You Running?" campaign featuring activist and author Blair Imani and interior designer Brigette Romanek.
- The company's first lace-up shoes come in two styles: the Roadrunner ($130), which is a "retro-inspired silhouette," and the Cardinal ($140), which is a court sneaker. Both shoes are made with leather and suede, but the Roadrunner also includes nylon.
- Birdies tapped celebrity stylist Sophie Lopez to create a style guide for the new shoe collection, complete with advice and inspiration on how to wear the new sneaker collection. Both styles come in five colors, according to the press release.
Dive Insight:
Birdies is expanding beyond its fashionable slipper roots to more shoe categories, and highlighting women in charge to promote its growing assortment.
In addition to Romanek and Imani, Birdies also tapped Meg Resnikoff, founder of the YouTube channel What's Up Moms and Lauren Houseman, TV writer and founder of Hiatus Candles, to participate in the campaign. The campaign aims to showcase inspiring, successful women, Birdies co-founder and president Marisa Sharkey said in a statement.
"Prior to creating Birdies, Marisa and I were on separate but similar paths, running our own households and businesses, putting our best foot forward even when the endgame wasn't obvious. That is the very essence of this campaign: embracing the unique journeys that take us places we could've never imagined," Birdies co-founder and CEO Bianca Gates said in a statement. "Our partners embody our mission to support and uplift women, and we are thrilled to feature them in this campaign and celebrate their remarkable journeys."
As Birdies expands its shoe styles, the DTC shoe brand faces stiff competition from other emerging shoe brands. Last May, fellow DTC brand Rothy's added men's sneakers and loafers to its lineup of shoes made of recycled materials. In December, Allbirds introduced a low-carbon running shoe, which produces 2.94 kilos of carbon dioxide per pair of shoes, in partnership with Adidas. The company started with basic sneakers and has since launched performance footwear and expanded into apparel.
In search of growth, Allbirds plans to enter wholesale in the second quarter this year and is piloting a recommerce program that lets customers trade in their old shoes for store credit. Meanwhile, Rothy's received a $200 million investment from Brazilian footwear company Alpargatas in December, which the brand plans to use to jumpstart its entry into international markets.
