New Zealand sustainable-woollen-shoe brand Allbirds is moving into China with three stores expected to be operational by the end of the year.

Allbirds is set to open in Shanghai next month at the Taikoo Hui shopping mall, with locations in Beijing and Chengdu to follow. It already has outlets in San Francisco, where the firm is now based, as well as London and New York.


“Bringing Allbirds to China has been a goal of ours since we launched the brand back in 2016,” said Allbirds’ founder and co-CEO Tim Brown. “We’re focused on bringing more comfortable, more sustainable footwear to people around the world, and entering China is a huge step in that direction.”

“We’ve already seen incredible enthusiasm from Chinese consumers, especially around our dedication to creating premium natural materials,” added the firm’s co-CEO Joey Zwillinger. “The market has been a leader in the evolving retail landscape, which makes it a great fit for our brand’s innovative ethos.”

The shoe brand Allbirds has also entered into a partnership with e-commerce giant Alibaba to sell on its powerful Tmall platform.