Welcome back to another day of Underwear Thesis! Today’s underwear review is all about Allbirds, a brand most well-known for their footwear. They’ve ventured into a few other categories as of late, including underwear. Naturally, a few people reached out to know my thoughts on them, so I picked up two different underwear styles and have a LOT of thoughts… Let’s dig into my Allbirds underwear review!
My Totally Unfiltered Review of Allbirds Underwear
If you’re new to my Underwear Thesis, I encourage you to read these posts before proceeding:
My Search for The Most Comfortable Underwear
This post is an excellent starting point and lists out ALL of the criteria of this project, including:
- Judging criteria
- Commonly used terms
- My size + body type details
- and a lottt more
What to Look for When Shopping for Underwear
Including:
- Fabric and trim
- Seams and stitching
- Gusset
- Size and fit
- Washability
How to Wash Underwear So It Lasts Longer
Including:
- Delicates bag
- Cold water + gentle cycle
- Detergent
- Fabric softener
- And more!
Please keep in mind that these are my personal opinions of the product. If you love Allbirds, that’s great! I applaud you! But if you’re on the fence about whether to buy them or not, this is what I think you need to know in order to be an informed consumer.
Styles Tried and Price
- Women’s Trino™ Brief, size medium – $20
- Women’s Trino™ Shortie, size medium – $20
Fabric Quality + Details
Grade: B
Both pairs of underwear from Allbirds are made of 65% Tencel, 28% merino wool. and 7% Lycra. Further down on the website, it mentions that the Trino fabric also includes eucalyptus, but that isn’t listed on the tag (which is abnormally long and has to be cut out). The fabric is super soft and lightweight. If I had a tee made of this material, I’d be soooo happy. The materials are billed as breathable, which I think is the perfect description.
The waistband on the shortie style is about 1″ wide and a thicker elastic band that is soft on the outside. It’s pretty rigid and I can imagine it creating muffin tops potentially. And the gusset is in the same fabric with the opening in the front. As for the brief, the waistband elastic is about 1/4″ thick, so it’s a much lower profile. The gusset is the same construction as the shorties.
Personally, I like underwear that made with a bit heavier weight of fabric. These feel like I could snag them easily and tear a hole. But I’d love a tee in this fabric!
Manufacturing Quality
Grade: A
Both pairs of underwear feel vert well-made. None of the stitching is loose and the elastic at the waist is pretty sturdy (I’m curious about how I would handle the heat of a dryer though).
Ethical Practices and Sustainability
Grade: B
Allbirds is definitely a company that prioritizes sustainability and is a certified B Corporation. For example, the Trino underwear is carbon neutral because of their sustainable practices which include buying offsets. Interestingly enough, they also mention that the pair of underwear’s footprint is 1.3 kg CO2e before they balance the emissions. I love that level of transparency!
For all of the information they share about sustainability and being green, I didn’t find much documentation about ethical practices for their laborers. That is why I have given them a B.
Inclusivity
Grade: C
Sigh… where is the inclusiveness when it comes to model selection?? There are definitely POC models on the site, but I could not find anyone who looks to be beyond a size medium. I find that very disappointing, especially for something as personal as underwear!
Washability
Grade: ??
So, this is where I am majorly lacking in this review because I barely wore either pair of underwear from Allbirds. I washed them twice: when I got them and after I tried to wear them for the first time… and then promptly never wanted to put them on my body again. Therefore I am sorry to say that I cannot attest to the washability.
Fit & Comfort
Grade: F
Ughhhh I am really bummed to say this, but the fit of both pairs is SO BAD. I ordered a size medium and I feel like maybe an XS would fit the way I want it to? The shortie style literally falls off of my hips and wont even stay up. The brief is a slightly better fit. But then no matter which pair I’m wearing, it is WEDGIE CITY. Like, all wedgies all the time.
Allegedly, the Allbirds underwear is supposed to “fit your body shape” with full bottom coverage. I had absolutely zero fit whatsoever. And quite honestly, I couldn’t even wear them for a full, day-long wear test. I think I only lasted about 15 minutes.
Overall thoughts
Grade: F
I HAD SUCH HIGH HOPES… and was hugely disappointed. As nice as the fabric is and as great as Allbirds’ commitment to sustainability is, the fit was atrocious and unforgivable. I wanted to like them so badly and kept trying… only to immediately get annoyed and take them off to put on something else.
I was so hopeful for the Allbirds underwear because I’ve wanted a good pair of panties that I could wear every day but also for outdoor activities like hiking and climbing. The breathability aspect and the moisture wicking properties were a big selling point for me. And they are SO soft.
I’m really disappointed. I love Allbirds shoes and this fabric has such promise. I even considered ordering smaller sizes and trying again. But for $20 there are way better styles out there that do the job for me like Pact and ThirdLove. I didn’t want to order more and risk shelling out even more money for underwear I won’t even wear for a full day potentially.
Ready for even more Underwear Thesis reviews?? Catch up on my previous reviews:
Auden From Target Underwear Review
So to kick things off this time, I’m sharing my thoughts on truly one of the most requested brands of this entire project: Auden from Target! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been asked to review Auden. So I’m really glad to finally have this review published — you’ll have to let me know what you think!
Parade Underwear Review
Ooooh boy. I have put off publishing this underwear review as long as I could, but it’s time. I need to put on my big girl panties (pun very much intended) and share my unfiltered review of Parade underwear. You might be wondering why I’ve put off this review for so long… and it’s because I was majorly disappointed. I probably should wait until the end of the post to say that, but I just needed to address the elephant in the room! Let’s dig into all of the details about why I did not like Parade’s underwear, shall we?
Everlane Underwear Review
New year, new underwear! I wanted to start off by thanking you for your patience in the last few months. I really did want to share even more Underwear Thesis reviews, but like… moving, renovating, the holidays, a tree falling on/around our house… it’s been a LOT. So, thank you. Lets move onto the reason you’re here though: my unfiltered thoughts about Everlane underwear! It was really fun to get back into these reviews and really dig into the details of each pair. I hope you enjoy this Everlane underwear review and learn a lot!
Pact Underwear Review
Here’s the thing about reviewing different pairs of underwear: you can only get so creative with the photography! But seriously, I am running out of ways to photograph underwear. Anyways, this week’s Underwear Thesis review is all about Pact, an organic clothing company. I think they are most known for their super soft organic basics. They definitely have a loyal fanbase and I got tons of requests to try them out because I think a lot of people curious! So if you’re in that group, keep reading to get the full scoop of my Pact review.
Arq Underwear Review
When I first started this project, I posted to Instagram asking for recommendations of underwear you love… and if there was one overwhelming response, it was ARQ! So many people said that ARQ is their holy grail, most favorite underwear of all time… and WELL worth the higher price tag. So, naturally I needed to order a few pairs and work on an ARQ review! After a few months of washing, wearing, and generally being the picky nerd that I am, I’m finally ready to share my review. Let’s dig in!
What do you think of this Allbirds underwear review?? Leave a comment and let me know! And stay tuned for the rest of my reviews this week!
