Adidas and Allbirds' unusual sneaker collab — it's all about the "brand affinity"

Stan Smith meets Millennial HENRY... Didn't see it coming. Brand collaborations usually happen between companies that don't directly compete — think: Spotify and Uber, Ben & Jerry's and Netflix, Cheetos and Forever 21 (a classic). But Allbirds and Adidas are shaking things up:

• The Team: Adidas, the sportswear giant that's obsessed with stripes, is teaming up with Allbirds, the Millennial-friendly footwear unicorn that's obsessed with sustainability.
• The Situation: The carbon footprint of sneakers made with synthetic materials ranges from 11.3-16.7 kg of CO2 per pair, according to Adidas. Allbirds says its sneakers take about 7.6 kg of CO2 to produce (a leg up, in terms of sneaker footprints).
• The Collab: "Create the lowest carbon footprint performance shoe ever, with the ultimate goal of a net-zero product." Nice.

Put those (sneaker) heads together... Adidas and Allbirds will join their resources to reach their carbon-reducing, performance-maintaining goal. But what's in it for each brand?

• Adidas wants to expand its sustainability rep: It shipped a sneaker made from the ocean's plastic waste, and one made from 100% recyclable material (now its Yeezy brand is working on an algae-foam clog). Adidas also promised to use only recyclable materials by 2024.
• Allbirds wants to expand its performance rep: Its Silicon Valley approved everyday shoes are made out of wool and sugarcane waste (VC vest not included), but now it wants in on your sweat game. In April it released a running shoe made of sugarcane and eucalyptus. Delicious.