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DeFeet Golden Spider Silk EVO socks come with a $5,000 price tag

defeet cycling socks made from giant golden orb spider silk
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Because if you want cycling socks made from one of the rarest materials ever used to knit a garment, you gotta pay for it. The first pairs will be hand delivered to Team QuickStep, on a hand-blown crystal foot form protected inside a Pelican hard case, at the Tour de France. QuickStep helped them test and develop the new Evo sock line, which are the lightest cycling socks DeFeet has ever made and include a carbon fiber option.

The only photos they’re releasing for now are pulled from this video, so we’ll just share that until they formally debut in a couple weeks. So, why spider silk? DeFeet founder Shane Cooper explains (from their press release):

“To celebrate the launch of our new EVO line, we’ve created a one of a kind sock we call the EVO® Spider Silk. Unlike any sock ever made, it is the first sock ever knit completely from the silk of the rare Giant Golden Orb Spiders of Madagascar. In fact, this sock will be only the fourth product ever known to be made from the material! The other items include a pair of gloves for Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife and a one of a kind bed linen. DeFeet Founder Shane Cooper will award the first of the EVO® Spider Silk socks to Team Quick-Step on the eve of the start of the Tour de France in July.

“This Golden Sock will be awarded to Quick-Step management and presented on a handblown crystal foot form in its own Pelican Case on the eve of the 2018 Tour de France,” said Cooper. “This is a $5000 pair of socks. And, yes, you can buy a pair,” he added.

The most intriguing part of the EVO project? The innovation possibilities for spider silk. “Spider silk is actually a protein that can benefit humanity in many ways, if we can learn to synthesize it,” Cooper says. “Some labs have made progress with this, and I believe we will move beyond oil-based fibers. Nature will lead the way, if we can copy her code. DeFeet is on that trail.”

Cooper finishes by saying “Imagine fiber that is 5x stronger than steel, light-weight as a feather and can be made using methods that create far less pollution than anything that currently exists.” DeFeet believes that’s a path worth following.”

DeFeet.com

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19 Comments
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Mark
6 years ago

I can’t believe where the year went, it felt like just a few months ago it was April.

Shafty
Shafty
6 years ago

For ANY spider silk garment $5000 is a great deal. The history of spider silk in textiles is pretty interesting.

Do these have any unique properties or are they too rare to test?

Tom
Tom
6 years ago

As ridiculous as the price is, it may help drive greater recognition of the technology and the potential upside, both in terms of performance and sustainability.

JBikes
JBikes
6 years ago
Reply to  Tom

I think the tech has huge recognition within the textiles and materials industry given its potential. This is just a waste imo.

Especially knowing people go hungry and without basic education and clean water throughout the world. Yeah, yeah I know, but at some point we need to call out the ridiculousness of consumption at this level. Buyers should frankly be ashamed.

Tyler
6 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

It keeps the econ river flowing

Joe Bond
Joe Bond
6 years ago

Spider silk tires would be awesome.

Shafty
Shafty
6 years ago
Reply to  Joe Bond

I’d guess one of the hardest parts of designing spider silk products would be reducing wastage. There’s always scrap when making textiles, unless they’re woven continuously like these socks. A 125m spool of thread weighs 1g. Insanity.

JBikes
JBikes
6 years ago
Reply to  Shafty

Its not hard to design at any (or this) price point.

Golden spider silk is being researched for its properties, but the commercial goal is synthesizing its protein make-up – not the use of actual spider silk.

blahblahblah
blahblahblah
6 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

party pooper!

Tris Hoffman
Tris Hoffman
6 years ago
Reply to  Shafty

1g for 125m is actually not light at all. If you look at denier, how threads/material is rated it is using a 9000m length. Denier is a measure of the strand that goes into fabric. A 100 denier fabric (which is getting into the durability realm, tents are 20 denier) is 100 grams for a 9000m thread.

At 125m for 1g that is 9000m at 72g, so this is 72 denier, superlight jackets are using 15 denier material, actually making this beefy in comparison.

DJ
DJ
6 years ago

Could potentially be the biggest FAIL if ever on the Shark Tank.

Flatbiller
Flatbiller
6 years ago

I bet Kitsbow will be selling these soon.

Matt
Matt
6 years ago

I just ordered two pairs for my cat’s lil paws.

Silkworm
Silkworm
6 years ago

Check out Kraig Biocraft Labs! They have GM silkworms that spin SpiderSilk!

imjinrat
6 years ago
Reply to  Silkworm

Coming very soon!!!

Trolllololololooooooo
Trolllololololooooooo
6 years ago

“I’d order seven ohh wait colors are not pastel enough”-Rapha customer

imjinrat
6 years ago

I’d hold off on paying $5K for a pair of socks. Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is on the cusp of being able to mass produce a genetically modified silk worm silk that will be practically the same as spider silk. The price will be similar to regular silk.

blahblahblah
blahblahblah
6 years ago

just wait ceramic speed is about to release a rag made of this stuff to wipe your chain, good for 3 wipes at only 10g a pop, but wait there’s more, claimed to help save an additional .00001 watts. rapha and lightweight limited editions also expected

phlizz
6 years ago

Good way of promoting new technology, research … whatever price, its peanuts for whoever will buy it and would be spend on something more silly either way.

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