A version of this article is in the December issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.
HICKORY, N.C. (BRAIN) After 33 years of manufacturing its socks and other products in-house, DeFeet is shifting to the use of nearby partners for knitting. The company is continuing to buy yarn from domestic sources and handle R&D, marketing, sales and other functions at its "clubhouse" headquarters in Hickory, said founder Shane Cooper.
But the company is no longer vertically integrated, he said.
Cooper explained that the move was made necessary in part by a shrinking local workforce. With several workers retiring or leaving because of illness in recent years,DeFeet was unable to staff a second shift at its factory, which he said is key to efficiency. Several veteran employees departed, making it difficult to train new workers.
DeFeet'sremaining production workers are taking jobs at one of three local factories that will now do production for the brand. SomeDeFeet manufacturing tools are being moved to the other factories, some of whichDeFeet has worked with, for some processes, since the brand's inception.
The company now has about 15 employees and is operating out of the clubhouse, which includes a shop and cafe, and an additional 10,000-square-foot space nearby for storing yarn and inventory. The facility also houses sublimation machinery that allowsDeFeet to now, for the first time, offer custom socks with a one-sock minimum order, for teams or shops. The company will continue to do the sublimation in-house.
Cooper plans to sell a 50,000-square-foot building that previously housed theDeFeet factory.
Cooper noted that the trade war has cut into sales, especially in Canada, where the government has imposed new trade barriers for U.S. exporters and consumers are avoiding U.S. products. The MEC outdoor retail chain, for example, has stopped stocking DeFeet. "The tariffs might be good for U.S. manufacturing someday. So far it's been devastating to DeFeet," he said.
"The changes we've needed to adjust to over the last 33 years are unbelievable, but we've always faced them through a strategic and positive lens, like being in a race." Cooper said. "Since COVID, crosswinds in the cycling industry have been quite fierce at times. Joining with other local companies to create a faster, more powerful business environment for the continued evolution of knitting technology in our area, that's just another echelon for us."
On the racing front,DeFeet is enjoying a string of victories, with its aero socks used by the winners of all three men's grand tours and the Tour de France Femmes in 2025. The brand sponsors and supplies the Visma-Lease-a-bike, Trek Factory Racing and Lotto teams, among others.
