Allbirds opens second Canadian store at Toronto's Yorkdale mall

Sustainability-focused lifestyle brand Allbirds has opened a store in Toronto’s Yorkdale mall. This marks the second of two Canadian retail locations, after opening in Kitsilano, Vancouver, back in June.

Tim Brown, Allbirds CEO, told Daily Hive opening a shop in Toronto was a no-brainer after a few successful pop-ups in the city.

“Toronto is an important market for Allbirds, so it was a natural evolution for us to decide to plant roots here,” said Brown. “Hopefully this is just the start of our retail presence here.” 

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Founded in 2016, Allbirds is dedicated to making sustainable everyday products using premium natural materials. The brand has brick-and-mortar stores in the US, China, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, France, and New Zealand. 

Located inside Yorkdale mall at 3401 Dufferin Street, the 2,425-square-foot store is reflective of the brand’s commitment to sustainability with the use of natural materials in lieu of synthetic fibres. 

Natalia Buia/Daily Hive

The whole storefront is constructed from fully recyclable aluminum and renewable walnut plywood. Even the service desk is made using locally sourced renewable maple plywood. 

Custom wood try-on chairs and uniquely shaped mirrors are displayed throughout.

Among the shelves, customers will find popular items like the Tree Flyer. It’s a lightweight running shoe with a geometric midsole made with materials like eucalyptus tree fibre, sugarcane, recycled plastic bottles, and castor beans.

Natalia Buia/Daily Hive

In a way to be transparent with its customers, every Allbirds shoe has a label on the back indicating its carbon footprint (the Tree Flyer has 9.92kg CO2e, 20% less than your normal shoe).

According to Brown, the Dasher Relay, a laceless shoe made from renewable materials, and the Dasher 2, another carbon-neutral shoe, are the other products flying off shelves.

Natalia Buia/Daily Hive

“We’re bringing a different design and innovation approach to a category that, for a better part of 50 years, has been dominated by plastic and synthetic materials,” Brown said. “There’s a huge consumer demand for brand transparency and products that don’t compromise… and bring sustainability to the forefront.”

Shoppers outside of the GTA can shop Allbirds online and enjoy free shipping on orders over $50, plus easy returns.