Sustainable footwear and apparel brand Allbirds Inc. has named Jason Israel as the new Vice President of Design, starting June 1. Israel will report to Chief Design Officer, Adrian Nyman.
With over twenty years of design experience, Israel comes to Allbirds from French footwear brand Salomon, where he held the position of Global Creative Director. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Specialized Bicycle Components, serving as Head of Global Design, and five years at The North Face, where he was the Global Creative Director of Performance. He also worked as a designer for K2 Sports earlier in his career.
Nyman and Israel, along with the recent addition of color and materials leader Ailsa Cordon-Michell, are charged with strengthening Allbirds’s product team and enhancing its design culture, as per a press release from the San Francisco-based company.
Allbirds CEO Joe Vernachio expressed excitement about Israel’s addition to the team, emphasizing the importance of product and storytelling in the brand’s growth strategy. He mentioned that Israel’s expertise will be valuable as Allbirds works on new product strategies.
Earlier this year, Allbirds announced partnerships with distributors in the Gulf countries and Southeast Asia as part of its shift from direct go-to-market to third-party distribution in those regions.