DeFeet Press

THE WINNING STORY OF DEFEET

Peloton Magazine, Issue 84 • Interview: Brad Roe; Images: courtesy, DeFeet

Many years ago in a hotel bar in Zürich, Switzerland, eight-or-so hours after Eurobike had shut down, I heard the story of DeFeet from the cycling sock manufacturer’s Shane Cooper and Paul Willerton while sitting in oddly designed chairs with PELOTON’s Ben Edwards and Adam Reek and ordering Hendrick’s Gin with tonic and cucumbers.

As the night progressed, the story of DeFeet continued and I learned about the fire and how Shane and crew fought to save their company and brand. I was inspired by the story and although the details that night were potentially compromised by the Bulgarian rose and cucumber that were infused into the Scottish firewater, I made a mental note to track down Shane and ask him to tell me the story again. It took a few years, but we made it happen. 

"When the smoke cleared and the fire trucks left, all our sock machines were gone. Our building was a smoking mass of rubble. We had about 45 employees at the time of the fire. We did manage to save a few boxes of product that only had smoke damage."