“The start-up known around Silicon Valley for its comfy slip-on sneakers is hoping to take over another part of your closet.
Allbirds is venturing further into the clothing category, debuting four new items Tuesday: A T-shirt made out of discarded crab shells; a wool cardigan; a wool jumper (a Briticism for a pullover sweater); and a wool puffer-jacket — all made out of the same merino wool, sourced from New Zealand, found in Allbirds’ popular shoes.
The new items double down on its commitment to using sustainable materials, including plants, recycled plastic bottles and now, crab shells.
‘Does the world really need another T-shirt?’ co-founder Tim Brown asked during an interview. ‘The fashion industry doesn’t need another T-shirt unless it’s better.’
Brown said the company first identified a waste stream, which in this case is a surplus of snow crab shells in Canada’s seafood industry. To manufacture the shirts, minerals are extracted from the shells and mixed with wool. The result: an antimicrobial fabric that can kill bacteria, Brown said.”
View the whole story here: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/20/sustainable-sneaker-start-up-allbirds-is-selling-sweaters-t-shirts.html