Allbirds were the tech bro’s ‘it’ shoe. Then the tech brochure moved.

Pre-pandemic, Allbirds were a staple among San Francisco dating coach Eddie Hernandez’s clients, including many techies. Now, he says, men looking for love are the fifth or sixth shoe choice. Victoria Hitchcock, a Silicon Valley personal brander and stylist, has seen the same disappearing act with most of her 100 dot-com clients. Although she says she doesn’t recommend anyone buy Allbirds, about 40 of her customers sported them in 2019, she recalled. right now? Only 10 will be made.

Tech bros who dive into the Allbirds? It’s like tigers laying aside their lashes. Few fashion items from this San Francisco startup’s muted beats are associated with the coding crowd. In the year Since 2016, the sneaker, best known in the MacBook Slate shade, has outfitted the feet of hackers, engineers, and Google founder Larry Page in soft natural materials like merino wool. Their bare-bones aesthetic, slider-like comfort and eco-friendly message “ticked all the boxes for San Francisco,” Mr. Allred said. In the year A 2016 Time article called them “the most comfortable shoes in the world” (tag attached). And in a sign of how rabid VCs and bro programmers have embraced them, the shoes have appeared in the “Tech Bro Starter Pack” — a viral meme from 2019 depicting items such men would never have.

However, countless tech bros seem to be ditching the tech-bro shoes and stocking up on alternatives from upmarket brands like On and Rotis. Why the shift? Some cite practical concerns (Allbirds aren’t particularly robust), while others cite the waning appeal of tech’s “uniform.” But many believe that sneakers are passé. “I feel like Albirds are going to be part of the style of the 2010s,” says Tim Wagner, founder of San Francisco startup 40 Something. “Like, ‘Oh, remember the things we wore?’

Despite this, Allbirds’ revenues continued to grow, albeit slightly: The first nine months of 2022 totaled $213.6 million, up 18.5 percent year-over-year. That’s largely due to the still-young brand’s ability to reach a wider audience through national store openings, partnerships with third-party retailers and a growing product portfolio, said NPD Group analyst Beth Goldstein. According to NPD, the US consumer tracking service, the percentage of Albords female shoppers and customers with incomes under $100,000 have increased over the past 12 months.

“When Olbirds launched in 2016, word spread quickly…especially in our hometown of San Francisco,” an Olbirds spokesperson said in an email. “since then [our] Mission has attracted a global audience with customers in over 30 countries. Our fastest growing markets today are London and New York. A returning customer of the brand, a spokesperson said, “He has spent more with us every year since 2016.

However, in the year By 2022, GlobalData’s Consumer Panel estimates that Allbirds customers’ average annual spending has dropped by more than $31 since 2018. This has contributed to the brand’s slowing revenue growth and ever-increasing losses, said Neil Sanders, managing director of GlobalData’s retail division. One reason for cost reduction? The buying power of mainstream consumers isn’t as good as the early tech audience, Mr. Sanders said. He said techies in general tend to spend more because they have a higher average salary, and tend to stick with brands they like as opposed to shopping around.

While some former ‘bird players’ praise the comfort of the sneakers, others lament their downsides. A frequent complaint among Ms. Hitchcock’s customers is that models such as suede runners wear out quickly and don’t provide enough support if you’re on your feet for long periods of time. Another common complaint: woolly runners and tree runners swarm in wet weather. (Mizzy models are water-resistant.)

A lot of tech people have moved on just because the shoe telegraph message has changed. Around 2016-2019, merino-clad legs were a way to advertise yourself as a fashionable techie who cared about the environment as part of a working class that seemed to take over the world. But as allbirds became more ubiquitous, wearing them made some men feel like tropes, Mr. Allred said. The eloquent memories didn’t help much. “[If] “I have so many shoes to choose from… I never reach for a pair that gives me the ability to laugh,” Mr. Allred said. “Why be a meme if you don’t have to?” Mr. Wagner After finding himself surrounded by ankle-deep clones at Bay Area parties in 2019, he started screaming. I feel like I’ve been sold by the marketing machine.’

Simon Siegel, managing director at BMO Capital Markets, says the bigger question may be whether tech people still want to look like textbook tech guys. With every WeWork crash and FTX crypto crisis, not to mention a widely reported culture of toxic masculinity, the industry’s light grows dimmer. J. Kevin Kelly, 41, a startup founder in Chapel Hill, N.C., who once wore Olbirds, says he’s given up scheming to dress like his brogram brethren: “It’s really not very interesting to be openly known as working in tech.” He said.

Ms. Hitchcock is noticing that her customers are gravitating toward designs with more durability (and a higher price tag) than Albirds. These replacements come from brands like Atoms, a Brooklyn label with a faux aesthetic that has been dubbed by some as “the new Allbirds.” it is? “It’s on the way, but certainly,” Mr. Allred said [tech guys’ shoe choices are] Everywhere” What, a non-dominant, below-the-ankle uniform? That’s probably tech-friendly.

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