Making a better product in a better way.

two cyclists wearing DeFeet cycling socks ride on a gravel road beside a river

As a small North Carolina-based microsockery, DeFeet has always prioritized the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We engineer a long-lasting durable product that doesn't get thrown away after a few months, and maintain a local supply chain to keep manufacturing right here where it started. We sought out a high-quality recycled fiber to pair with our USA-grown Merino wool, and found it with Repreve.

Because we're small, we're agile. When we see a problem, we fix it. When we see a way we can improve, we give it a try. No need to submit an idea to a committee for review and approval and build out a flow chart - we just make it happen.

map of the united states shows the DeFeet cycling socks local supply chain

When we say local supply chain, we mean it.

When many companies moved manufacturing overseas, we prioritized finding business partners here in the USA. Our wool socks are USA-grown Merino, traveling from Oregon to the Carolinas for processing and knitting. Our recycled poly is manufactured right here in North Carolina at Repreve, made from local collected post-consumer water bottles.

DeFeet cycling sock hosiery mill manufacturing floor of knitting machines

Waste management isn't just about taking out the trash.

Our first priority in reducing waste is engineering and manufacturing a high quality durable product that lasts for years, which means our customers don't have to replace worn out socks every year. Our recycled fibers are sourced from post-consumer water bottles, which reduces landfill waste. Our microsockery production team knits in small batches to reduce overstock and liquidation.

Infographic showing the process of recycled bottles being converted into Repreve recycled yarn used in DeFeet cycling socks

Does recycled fiber really make a difference?

Repreve's process of making their recycled yarn reduces water usage by almost 20% compared to virgin polyester, keeping more than 25 billion plastic bottles out of landfills!

Repreve makes their recycled yarn by transforming local post-consumer waste into an amazing fiber. Their process embeds properties like wicking, adaptive warming and cooling, water repellency, and more at the fiber level.

Our favorite kind of reuse: when our customers reuse our product for years (sometimes decades), reducing consumption!

two pairs of heavily worn DeFeet Aireator cycling socks

"I've been wearing DeFeet socks for over 30 years. I will not wear any other sock.

From the days of racing with First Flight and being sponsored by Shane and DeFeet these socks have been with me every pedal stroke of my journey.

These socks are older than my kids and are indestructible."

- Derrick Styles

a split photo showing a man and a woman wearing DeFeet shirts selling socks at an event; the right side shows a man unloading a box of cycling socks to donate

Circularity on a local scale.

Material Return, a local company focused on custom circularity, transforms our region’s textile waste in a hyper-localized supply chain of 75 miles into ReturnTex™ yarn.

We donate our sock seconds. These socks may have small cosmetic issues visible to sock critics like us, but they’re still durable high-quality socks! They are also sold in our grab bags, or at events.

We even recycle the polypropylene yarn cones, which are picked up and recycled locally into different products (including dog bowls!).

Three cyclists wearing DeFeet socks riding on a paved mountain road past farmland

and - of course - we CYCLE!

If there's one thing we really take seriously, it's our bikes. If we can get there on a bike, we do. If we're playing, we're on bikes. We take care of our trails, we pack out what we take in, and we lose no opportunity to appreciate Mother Nature's playground.