Defeeted by the Tariffs

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Friday November 28, 2025 · 8:13 PM PST

2025/11/28 · 20:13

I got turned on to DeFeet’s wool knit socks and gloves because one of my bicycle parts/equipment suppliers sells them. The gloves are excellent. I was going to order a bunch this year and looked for them on BTI’s website. They had the socks, but not the gloves.

Then I saw this article in a weekly eMail from “Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.” DeFeet has lost a lot of workers, but has also lost some of its biggest customers, has sold off its knitting machines and is selling its facility.

This statement from DeFeet’s founder and CEO caught my eye: “(Shane) 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.

You can read the whole article here. www.bicycleretailer.com/…

I wonder how Darn Tough sox is doing? They are right on the Canadian border and I bet a LOT of their business was in Canada.

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