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DeFeet prepares for Silver Anniversary with new partnership

  • Ron 

DeFeet International, manufacturers of performance socks and accessories for the cycling, running and outdoor markets, will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2017. The Silver Anniversary marks an amazing quarter century for the manufacturer, as well as a new partnership. DeFeet has selected to use Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. as its new fiber supplier, and will incorporate Unifi’s REPREVE®, SORBTEK® and XS Dynamic Tunable Cross-Section technology, into a variety of its products. The fibers will be integrated first into the Levitator Lite model and then all of the company’s non-wool products starting in 2017.

“DeFeet is thrilled and proud to soon celebrate our 25th year in business,” said DeFeet Founder and Chief Sockoligist Shane Cooper. “This is part of what we do. We never stop experimenting, learning and improving. We show up every day and just go for it. That’s what keeps us young – 25 years young.”

Unifi is headquartered in North Carolina, where the environmentally friendly, performance yarn production also takes place. REPREVE is a brand of fibers made from recycled materials, including plastic water bottles, and SORBTEK is Unifi’s moisture-management yarn. REPREVE with SORBTEK creates a performance yarn that combines cooling and moisture-wicking properties with recycled benefits. With the addition of Unifi’s XS Dynamic Tunable Cross-Section technology, the moisture-management and comfort properties are even further enhanced.

“They literally knocked my socks off,” added Cooper. “Our athletes have given the new fiber a unanimous thumbs up. But the important thing for DeFeet – the game changer – is the fact this is a recycled yarn. Our lab tests are showing the best wicking performance we have ever seen, and it’s from a product recycled right here in North Carolina!”

DeFeet has been testing the new fibers extensively in 2016. In July, socks with the new fibers were worn to victory in seven stages of the Tour de France.

“As sustainability becomes a more widespread focus, we appreciate seeing partners like DeFeet using REPREVE in combination with other Unifi performance technologies to increase various attributes that enhance athletic pursuits,” said Jay Hertwig, vice president of global brand sales, marketing and product development for Unifi. “With the addition of Unifi’s SORBTEK and XS Dynamic Tunable Cross-Section technology, we are able to create products that are both environmentally friendly and deliver performance benefits that consumers in the outdoor market request.”

For more information on the Levitator Lite 2 CLICK HERE.

Tags: cycling, Fibers, Materials, Matter, performance, Polyethylene terephthalate, technology, Textile arts, Textiles, Wool
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