Socks for Women!
In the wake of the recent debacle at Interbike (involving certain socks that were placed in welcome bags), DeFeet began brainstorming about how we could transform the negativity surrounding #sockgate into a source of strength, positivity, and power for women and girls in the cycling community.
One voice came through quite clear in the midst of all the chaos and finger pointing. The loud (in a good way) and true voice of professional downhill mountain biker Amanda Batty.
“Women in the cycling industry matter. We’re spending, growing, and developing faster than any other market segment.”
She was disappointed in the choice of imagery on the Interbike socks and questioned its relevance to the cycling industry.
“Those socks are no more closely related to cycling than cats in wizard hats are.”
It was that statement that gave us and DeFeet the idea to create our own completely irrelevant socks in hopes of using them to continue a positive conversation regarding women and cycling.
We are very excited to introduce the “Batty Cat” socks! We have created these socks in partnership with Amanda Batty – with a goal of benefiting an organization that celebrates and encourages women and girls in cycling. All proceeds from the sale of the “Batty Cat” socks will go to Little Bellas (www.littlebellas.com).
“Little Bellas is a mountain bike organization whose goal is to help young women realize their potential through cycling. We aim to create a community that will empower girls through the sport, emphasize the importance of goal setting, promote healthy life styles, and recognize the positive effects of strong female bonds. While this program is centered around creating camaraderie for girls on bikes, it is most importantly about having fun in a constructive environment.
Little Bellas Values:
- We value strong female role models and promoting women and girls through our work.
- We value the environment and being good stewards of our trails and our planet.
- We value exercise and being healthy.
- We value creating a positive experience for all the girls enrolled in Little Bellas”
During the summer Little Bellas offer single and multi-day programs across the country during which mentors and girls ride together at local trail networks. They focus on improving skills and participate in team-building activities.
With proceeds from the sale of the “Batty Cat” socks – Little Bellas hopes to start more chapters throughout the country thus getting more girls on bikes, more girls on the trails, and more girls sharing the love of two wheels.
