AI Team Mate FAQ 1

Custom Projects, what is the process?

What does it take to get started?

• Tell us what products you want and how many of each.
• We will send you an invoice with a link from which you can make payment.
• Make your payment for the above products. or give us a $400 design deposit
• If you have 25 or more people who will order, we will create a webstore.
• Send us your logos/graphics in Vector Format.
• We will create the design.  Upon approval we will start the production.

What are Vector Format logos/graphics?

Vector files like .AI, .EPS, and sometimes scalable .PDF remain editable, allowing you to open them in design software (e.g., Illustrator) and modify elements such as text, colors, shapes, and sizes. This flexibility makes it easy to adjust the design, whether it’s changing colors or resizing. You can shrink the graphic down to the size of a postage stamp or enlarge it to billboard size, without any distortion or pixelation.

In contrast, files saved as JPG, PNG, or GIF are raster images, which cannot be easily edited beyond basic adjustments like a photograph on photo paper. Vector format is the original, editable format provided by the graphic designer who created it.

What about price?  Please email us at emilio@desotosport.com

Help with sizing:

Thanks for asking. I am happy to help you.

We take great pride in making sure our customers are fitted into the correct size. To do so, it is most helpful if you would provide us with the following information:

• GENDER / IDENTITY
• AGE:  We request this as some people prefer less compressive fit as they get older.
• HEIGHT
• WEIGHT (accuracy helps us provide a more accurate size)
• CHEST (measured as the largest part of circumference right over the pectoral muscle)
• WAIST (circumference measured at the belly-button line - this is NOT the same as your pant waist size)
• HIPS (circumference measured at the widest point, NOT at your hips where your belt may go. Typically this will measure just a few inches below your hip bones and around the largest part of the glutes)

If you do not have a tape measure use a belt, or your smartphone power cord, along with a ruler or a house tape measure. 

Our size chart provides a general guide to proper fit of our products.  It was derived by algorithms based on measurements from thousands of customers who have ordered from us over the past three and a half decades.   It compares five measurements (HEIGHT, WEIGHT, CHEST, WAIST AND HIPS) with the understanding that one cannot accurately look at just a few of the measurements and conclude the size. 

All the above is for fitting purposes only and the information is kept completely confidential.  The more accurate the information you provide, the more accurately we will be able to size you.  

We look forward to your reply and to getting you fitted properly.

Should you wear a trisuit, or a tri short and tri top?  Our trisuits are sized to fit 80-90% of the triathlon population.  This has been determined by algorithms we have created based on the requested measurements from thousands of customers who have ordered from us over the past 30 years.   One cannot  accurately look at just one of the measurements and conclude sizes. 

As you begin to determine what size is best for you, remember it is more critical to wear triathlon-specific garments very snug because you are usually racing in them when they are wet, either from the swim, or from sweat.  They stretch more when wet,  so consider trying them on WET.  Soak them in water first, ring them out a little bit and try them on, taking your time to gently work you way up from the legs to get it over your torso and arms.

Also:

1. The tightest our products ever feel is the first time you put them on.
2. They do loosen up a bit with a number of wearings and washings, and they never shrink.  
3. You want our product to be snug and it is better to be too snug than too loose. 
4. Garments that are worn snug will stay against the skin and not rub you.
5. Chafing and rashing is typically caused by garments that are worn too loose as the fabric will rub against the skin. 
6. Remember triathlon garments will be wet from the swim segment and they stretch more when WET.  

Putting on triathlon clothing:  It is not supposed to be easy to put on, but it should feel comfortable when on.  This may seem strange, but put it on and then get into a luke warm shower with it on or wet yourself with a hose.   Or get the garment wet and slowly start with putting in on your legs, push them up from the bottom, and slowly work your way up each thigh all the way to your hips. When it gets wet it will loosen up a bit.  Leave it on wet for about 5 minutes. As the water drains from the short, you will have a good idea of what it will feel like when racing in it.

Order a suit in a color you make but do not show on your website:

I can make it easy for you.  Just place your order for a Forza Flisuit BYOS at this link below:

https://www.desotosport.com/collections/build-your-own/products/forza-flisuit-sleeved-byos-build-your-own-classics

Select your size,

Select your pad,

Select the color MISCELLANEOUS

go through the checkout process,

then send me your order confirmation number

then we will manually change the order to show your design/color preference

You will receive a revised order number reflecting everything you want!

T1 Wetsuit Fit Notes:

The neck should feel tight when standing upright, but keep in mind, when you are swimming you are looking upwards and one arm will be up as well , almost as if you were reaching with one hand for something up on a tall shelf. Your body is slightly turned sideways your arm is lifted up and your head is looking up towards your hand. That is exactly the swimming position and you will notice that when you were like that the neck is not quite so tight. It needs to be snug to seal water from flowing through the top.

As for the zipper you may need to have somebody help you zip it all the way down but it will lock in place. There is a little latch on the zipper that locks when it's completely closed down. You might need to hold both ends together at the bottom and have somebody zip it down for you but you will be able to unzip it yourself with no problem. It is important to get used to the suit so try and swim in it a few times.  Start first wearing it in a pool doing a few hundred yards.  Then when comfortable, try swimming in a lake or river staying in shallow water.

I would not recommend going up a size because if you were able to put this suit on it is the correct size for you and anything more loose will allow water to flow through resulting in you not staying warm and will also slow down due to the welling up of water inside the suit.

Greetings from De Soto Sport! 

 Thank you for your recent Build-Your-Own purchase!

 We have no return and no exchange policy on this item. Please reply that you agree with our policy.  

If you are in doubt or need help, ask us!  Your comfort and satisfaction are important to us.

Social Awareness and responsibility:

Given how small our company is we donate extensively directly to a number of charities. The list changes a little each year and this year things have been tough financially given the change in the retail landscape in our sport, but here is the line up of organizations we are working with for 2018 and 2019

• Miracles for Kids (www.miraclesforkids.org)
• Tri4Japan (www.tri4japan.com)
• Monarch School for homeless children (www.monarchschools.org)
• Project Access (project-access.org)
• Challenged Athletes Foundation
• Trisomy 18 Foundation
• American Cancer Society
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Team in Training)
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Ride)
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals  (ASPCA)
• World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) I just dictated a whole
• Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
• Friends of County Animal Shelters (FOCAS)
• Friends of the Humane Society of Tijuana (www.fhstj.org)
• Surfrider Foundation
• Encinitas Family YMCA
• La Jolla Family YMCA
• Wounded Warrior Project
• Save the Narragansett Bay (www.savebay.org)
• UNICEF for the Famine Relief of Children
• Surf Lifesaving del Sur (providing professional lifeguard training to the Baja Peninsula)

The RN # is our company ID number registered with the Fed Trade Commission.  It appears on all our garments. 

A registered identification number — or RN — is a number issued by the FTC, upon request, to a business residing in the U.S. and engaged in the manufacture, importing, distribution, or sale of textile, wool, or fur products.  Those businesses aren't required to have RNs, but they can use the RN in place of a name on the label or tag that is required to be affixed to those product

Can you wear a fleece pad in an ironman?

You ask a great question. It has been asked to me since I got involved in triathlon apparel design in 1983 .  Back then I did completed Ironman in Kona wearing a bike short I had removed the leather pad, which was so common at the time, and sewed in a fleece pad I cut out from the fabric of an old Patagonia fleece pullover.  

Fast forward to 1990, when I founded De Soto Sport, we were the first company to offer fleece pads in the very first trishort we invented.  This fleece pad became the norm and was worn by the majority of athletes at Ironman until about 2005, when we invented the 4mm and 7mm Clasico integrated pads.

We still offer the fleece pad because there are a lot of people who still prefer it.  Anyone can do an Ironman in the Mobius Tri Short, Mobius Trisuit, or Carrera Tri Short, if you train in it first.  All you do is start with short distance rides, and slowly work your way up to longer and longer rides.  This is best done with a saddle you have already broken in wearing thicker pads.

How do you recommend I remove my T1 Wetsuit?

Thanks for writing and you ask a really good question which I am happy to answer.  You do have a few options all of which have worked well for me:

1.  Right when you get to waist-to-knee deep of water and as you are on your feet exiting the water, remove your swim goggles and keep the swim cap on.  Hold the strap of your goggles with your teeth while you remove the pullover.  Then when you get to your bike remove the Bibjohn and swim cap.

OR

2.  Right when you get to waist-to-knee deep of water and as you are on your feet exiting the water, remove your swim goggles and keep the swim cap on.  Put your hand through the strap of your goggles and hold the strap of your goggles between your wrist and the bend of your elbow while you remove the pullover.  If you do this properly, your goggles will be safely kept inside the sleeve as your wetsuit is turned inside out during removal.  Then when you get to your bike remove the Bibjohn and swim cap.  

OR

3.  Right when you get to waist- to-knee deep of water and as you are on your feet exiting the water, keep your goggles on your eyes while you remove your pullover.  Then remove the goggles and swim cap, and tuck them into the bib part that covers your abdomen...kind of like a kangaroo pouch. Then when you get to your bike, remove the Bibjohn and your swim cap and goggles will fall right where you remove the Bibjohn.

OR

4.  Right when you get to waist-to-knee deep of water and as you are on your feet exiting the water, keep your goggles on your eyes while you remove your pullover. Then as you approach 6 inches of water or as soon as you are on dry land, stop and remove the Bibjohn.  Then with the pullover, goggles and swim cap in one hand, and with the Bibjohn in the other hand, run to your bike in the transition area.  It may surprise you to know that the sooner you remove a wetsuit upon exiting the water, the faster it will come off.  You will also run faster.  This is what I do!  

OR 

With goggles only in one hand, unzip the pullover pull it up to neck and remove the arms and chest out of the pullover.  Then, with the pullover only being held around the neck, pull the bibjohn to the waist and tuck the goggles into it.  So it will look weird running with the arms flapping around, but at least this way the chest will be open and I can "belly breathe" easier.

Of course as with any part of your strategy on race day, always follow

Emilio's First Law of Triathlon:

NEVER DO ANYTHING IN A RACE, THAT YOU HAVE NOT DONE REPEATEDLY IN TRAINING.

There are a number of other creative options that people have sent to me, but I have only tried the four above.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Did you know?

 

1987:  Emilio De Soto designs a square black and white logo for his company.  It is a company that does not exist, and he has no idea what sort of company it will be.

 

1989: Emilio De Soto innovates the mesh run cap, becoming the first cap to use a plastic washable brim, along with mesh side panels on the crown to offer shade from the sun while providing ventilation.

 

1989:  Emilio De Soto recognizes that triathlon is one sport, and sees the need for apparel that is more than just swimming, cycling, and running apparel.  The De Soto Clothing Company is conceived, a business plan is written, and designs begin on four garments:  A trishort, a tri top, a run short and a bike jersey, all with unique features never seen before.

 

1990:  De Soto Clothing Company becomes incorporated in the State of California on January 25, 1990.

 

1990:  De Soto makes the first production tri short.  With the advent of more innovative fabrics, De Soto places emphasis on making a short that you can swim and bike and run in without having to change.   De Soto uses very non-absorbent fabrics, with a thin fleece pad that stretches and conforms with the short.  The pad is thick enough for comfort on the bike, yet thin enough that one does not feel it while swimming or running.

 

1990:  De Soto categorizes the collection into Triathlon racing and training apparel instead of just swimming, or biking, or running apparel.

 

1990:  De Soto designs uniforms for the first US National team for the 2nd ITU World Championship, Orlando, Florida.  The team was sponsored by Speedo, but they did not make triathlon apparel, so Speedo commissioned De Soto to make the team apparel.

 

1990:  De Soto becomes the first company to make a run short with fuel pockets.  Prior to this, the only pockets on run shorts was a small key pocket. 

 

1990:  De Soto innovates a bike jersey with aero sleeves and pockets.  They are sleeves designed to fit best when in the aero position on a triathlon bike.  The pockets were accessible from the sides instead of the top so as to avoid scooping wind.  De Soto also becomes the first company in the USA, and one of the first companies worldwide to put a long zipper on a bike jersey.

 

1991:  De Soto works with the original chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to design the first uniforms for the Team in Training program.  Emilio was asked to pick some trendy colors for these uniforms.  At the time purple and green were very trendy.  Though they are no longer fashionable colors together, they remain the official team colors.

 

1993:  De Soto innovates the Transition Pack.  Inspired by two friends who both broke collarbones while carrying single-shoulder-strap bag on their bikes, only to have the bag swing off their back and into the front wheel of their bike.  The features of the first De Soto Transition Pack included: a special wetsuit compartment, a duffle-style entry, two padded shoulder straps, compartments that separated wetsuit gear from dry gear, sunglass pouch, keep ring loop, a changing matt, a strap to hang the pack from the transition rack, and even a cell phone pocket that was the size of a brick.  22 years and 7 revisions later, the original features remain, and others have been added.  When you compare all triathlon bags on the market, every pack has features innovated by De Soto.

 

1994:  De Soto innovates the Big Wooly Jacket, a fleece winter jacket make entirely recycled plastic bottles.  Prior to this, no other company had made one of 100% post consumer waste.

 

1995:  De Soto registers the domain name www.desotosport.com making it one of the first triathlon companies in the world with a website.

 

1996: De Soto becomes the first company to place pockets on the side of a race top instead of in the back, thus innovating a new product category call the triathlon top (also known as tri top, and tri jersey).

 

1998:  De Soto innovates the first women’s specific trishort, specifically contoured to fit women, with a seamless one piece pad that stretches and no gripper elastic on the legs.

 

1997:  De Soto becomes the first company to use Lycra Power, the first compression fiber and fabric ever developed, for the intended purpose of delaying the onset of fatigue, and expediting recovery time between endurance workouts and after endurance races.   Shortly after testing, Emilio designed a one-piece race suit for Paula Newby Frazier and Heather Fuhr to wear in the 1997 Ironman, in Hawaii. The Women’s Power Skinsuit (now known as the Forza Trisuits) was the result of this meeting.  That year, Heather won Ironman Hawaii, Sean Welch won IM Australia, and Lori Bowden won IM Canada, all wearing the Women’s Power Skinsuit.  A year later a men’s version was designed and brought to market.  To this day, many pros continue to come to De Soto when they in between sponsors or when they are given their choice of what to wear at Ironman races.

 

2000:  De Soto gets a phone call from Sydney Australia, from Michelle Blessing, coach of the US Olympic Triathlon Team.  It was three days before the inaugural Olympic Triathlon and they have yet to receive their uniforms.  De Soto makes six red, white, and blue Power Skinsuits™ and sends them on a plane with a gentleman to be hand delivered to Michelle the night before the event.  On hour before the event the sponsor delivers uniforms to the team, so the uniforms were never used.

 

2000:  De Soto innovates the T1 Wetsuit.  It became the first, and still remains the only, production two-piece wetsuit on the market.  With performance and fit advantages not available in one-piece wetsuits, T1 Wetsuit tops and bottoms can be purchase separately so fitting becomes more customized, and replacing only part of the wetsuit, when needed, becomes more economical. On a retailer standpoint, there is less inventory required, as 7 sizes of tops and 7 sizes of bottoms creates 49 combinations of sizes, which is more than any other brand.  A number of new innovations were included the original T1 Wetsuit, which still exist in current T1 models, that are now common in almost all brands:

·      First to have lower neck line.  Prior to this, all wetsuits had a high “turtle neck.”

·      First to eliminate crotch to shoulder restriction.

·      First with Bio-Stroke™ design which creates forward rotated shoulders

·      First wetsuit with hips and legs with thicker rubber than torso.

·      First to have 5mm thickness in the legs and hips to help float the legs, facilitate torso rotation, and thus, reduce fatigue.

My garments appear to be wearing out in some spots and the fabric is almost see-through.  What happened?

That burning or white transparency on the sides have resulted over time by the accumulation of salt as a result of sweat combined with the the possibility, that at some point, the garment sat in a hamper for a few days before being washed.  Bacteria can start to form on a wet or sweaty garment within 2 hours. This burning also becomes very apparent over time if the Bibs have even been exposed to heat from being placed in a dryer.  I am not saying all these things happened to these Bibs, but rather just explaining what causes this.

If you cannot wash your clothing immediately after a ride, we recommend you rinse your clothes thouroughly right after and hang it to dry, then wash it as soon as possible.

This is not a product defect as this occurs to any product containing elastane (lycra or spandex) fibers. 

 

2001:  De Soto becomes the first company to make a neoprene swim cap without Velcro on the chin strap.

 

2003:  De Soto invents the Trikini, a bikini for women, that you can actually swim in without the suit falling off.  Over the years the trikini name later goes on to be used by 4 other companies as if it were theirs, so De Soto changes the name to the QTKini.

 

2002:  De Soto innovates a running sock with polypropylene instead of cotton. Polypropylene absorbs less moisture than any other fiber in the world.

 

2002:  De Soto innovates the Bibbed Tri Short.  Rather than a trishort which ends at the waist, the Bibbed Tri Short, resembles the fit and comfort of a cycling bib, but with De Soto famous triathlon pad.

 

2004:  De Soto Innovates 400-Mile Bike Short and 400-Mile Bibshort making it the first of both shorts ever to have pockets on the legs and center back.  This also becomes the first bike short to have a cycling pad made of synthetic fibers, that stretches with the short.  It is the first short NOT to have gripper elastic on the legs bringing a new level of comfort on long rides.

 

2004:  De Soto innovates Skin Cooler™ fiber and fabric.  This becomes the first fabric designed by the company for use exclusively by the company.  Skin Cooler ™ is the first fabric to offer cooling ability when wet to lower the skin surface temperature by as much as 9 degrees F (5 degrees C). This will become commonplace within De Soto Sport as plans are to design all its own fabrics by 2008.

 

2004:   De Soto innovates Arm Coolers. Sleeves worn in hot climates to keep arms cool and protect from the sun.  De Soto Arm Coolers not only created the product, but also the fabric.  Just because it is white does not make it effective.  Now this item is a common product in almost every triathlon and cycling apparel company.

 

2004:  The Speedtube™ is innovated by Emilio De Soto. While he loved the benefits of swimming faster in a full wetsuit, he felt too warm and claustrophobic, so after careful research and testing on how to achieve wetsuit buoyancy without losing speed, the Speedtube was born. Simply put, they are a 3/4-length capri style pant, made of 5mm GreenGoma™rubber, with a drawcord waist.  Given the convenience and comfort of wearing it in warmer waters combined with GreenGoma's amazing chlorine resistance, the Speedtube has become a common training tool for some of the country's top university swim and water polo teams, as an effective replacement for the pull buoy. It floats the hips without sacrificing torso rotation and the natural stroke motion, resulting in better swimming technique.

 

2005:  De Soto innovate the Cool Wings.  What was simply a set of Arm Coolers connected along the back and shoulders for sun protection, became a popular selling piece for people who commonly race in sleeveless tops.  Resembling a bolero jacket, De Soto has begun to see imitations from other brands.

 

2005:  The Winner of Ironman Kona wore a De Soto Powerskinsuit.  So did the husband and wife Ironman couple of Lothar and Nicole Leder.  He has actually opted to race in a Women’s Power Skinsuit because he prefered the zipper in back.

 

2006:  De Soto Custom Apparel is offered.  Called the De Soto Hidden Bay Project, all custom team apparel made in the USA, using sublimation technology which allows all-over graphics to be applied to fabric without affecting it technical integrity.

 

2007:  De Soto Sport becomes a textile company.  Now, not only does the company create garments, but it also designs and creates the majority of the fabrics it uses.

 

2009:  De Soto sell the world’s first and only wetsuit that is 10mm thick in the hips and legs. The T1 Water Rover was buoyant and so fast, that on April 13,  2010, WTC is so threatened by the speed of the Water Rover that they ban it from use in all their races.  USAT banned in on January 2, 2013.  Still the Water Rover remains visible at thousands of unsanctioned triathlons around the world.

 

2011:  De Soto incorporates GreenGoma™ Limestone Technology Rubber into the T1 Wetsuit making it the first triathlon and swimming-specific wetsuit to move away from petroleum-based rubber.

 

2012:  De Soto invents the Ceramico Intergrated Pad for cycling shorts and bibs, and trishorts.  Ceramico™ is a polyurethane based coating embedded to the outside of pad with rock-hard ceramic beads. You actually see these beads on the outside of the pad, and therefore, from the outside of the garment!. The Integrated pad is sewn onto the surrounding panels, instead of inside the short, so there is no fabric covering the pad, and so there are no seams on any part of where you sit. The inside of the pad is a soft plush fiber that stretches with the short and follows your skin as it moves on the bike and run, eliminating the friction that can cause irritation or rashes. Since the pad floats, you will not be bogged down if you chose to wear this garment under a wetsuit for a long race. This environmentally-friendly innovation is completely free of solvents.

 

2013:  De Soto retains patent and trademark law firm Morrison and Forrester to file a patent for the Ceramico Integrated Pad for cycling short and bibs, trishorts, motorcycle and motocross pants, bridal pants, rowing shorts and pants, and any application where a pad is integrated into a garment in the same manner.

 

2014:  In June of 2014 De Soto will introduce the new Shield Del Sol™ SDS Top with Ice Pockets. Made of De Soto Skin Cooler™ fiber, Shield Del Sol™ SDS blocks up to 90% the sun’s burning rays. Featuring three spinal pockets for ice or cold sponges, commonly available at aid stations. Remember, just because a garment is white, does not make it Skin Cooler™. As you sweat, Skin Cooler™ special moisture-radiating composition offers a cooling effect by dissipating moisture through channels to the outside of the fabric. The slightest breeze on the wet surface will cool you.

 

2015:  De Soto sells Espresso trademark to Michael Phelps. 

San Diego, California – January 14, 2016:  Michael Phelps’ licensee, Aqua Lung, recently became a customer of De Soto Sport by buying the trademark name Espresso.  Trademarks are rather straightforward.  One may think that De Soto making a wetsuit called “Espresso” and Phelps making swimwear called “Xpresso” would be not be in contention given both the names and products are different.  Not so.  According the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, both names are classified as apparel in USPTO Class 25.  The names may be found to be confusingly similar by the average person, regardless of the spelling. “We own a number of trademarks and patents, all of which we consider to be valuable assets to our company,” says Founder Emilio De Soto.  “So when someone called us to state they are not happy with Phelps’ transgressions, wondering if their T1 Espresso is was related somehow to Phelps, we said no and immediately contacted Aqua Lung. Preferring to proceed in a non-litigious way, we quickly negotiated an agreement resolving their infringement on our trademark.”

 

2016 De Soto make the world’s first trisuit and bibbed cycling short with a fly to reduce bathroom breaks while riding a bike.  The technology is called Fli-Fly™ and allows for relief without having to undress or unzip.

 

2016 De Soto created the CoolHead™.  This is a Skin Cooler Balaclava.   It is a hood you can wear with any top to help keep you cool and to protect you from the sun's harmful rays. This product expands the innovative Skin Cooler collection by De Soto to over 15 different products.

 

2020 In a time of need De Soto pivoted to make masks during covid-19.

 

2021 Emilio is nominated into the USAT Hall of Fame.  Emilio started competing in 1981 while at UC Santa Barbara, where graduated in Mechanical Engineering. He then went to San Diego State University MBA school while trained with the pros. Hard work put him in a position to become a pro triathlete. He traveled the world competing in races in 24 countries.  Emilio raced for 33 consecutive triathlon seasons.  He competed in over 400 endurance events, with multiple top 10 finishes in duathlon and triathlons, and went to multiple USAT National Championships and ITU world championships.

 

Emilio still impacts the sport through his company, De Soto Sport, which he founded in 1990. The company specializes in making innovative technical multisport apparel.  They make 98% of their products right in their building in San Diego. He has invented and innovated more products for our sport than anyone else, including: the triathlon short, triathlon top, transition pack, arm coolers, mesh run cap, two-piece wetsuit, wetsuit pant, and he developed the first compressive garments, and the first cooling fabric.

Emilio believes in social responsibility and giving back.  De Soto partners with athletes, events, coaches, clubs, and other institutions to grow the sport through fundraisers and donations from the company.  De Soto has raised and donated tens of thousands of dollars to the over 25 charities including:  Tri4Japan, Monarch Schools for Homeless Children, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, World Society for the Protection of Animals, Wounded Warrior Project, UNICEF for the Famine Relief of Children.

 De Soto now has his own family. With his wife, Tracy, they still train and instill a healthy lifestyle to their three boys.  The boys have competed in several kids’ multisport races, and all three are on swim team, while the two olders are on their school cross country team too. 

Have you ever wondered who came up with the idea for today’s triathlon clothing that allows you to swim, bike, and run without changing? While some brands made triathlon gear in the ’80s, much of it was just swimwear, running apparel, or cycling kits, often custom-made by seamstresses. Since 1990, De Soto has been focused on pioneering original concepts that competitors have since adopted. From the first triathlon bag, the Transition Pack, to the first mesh running cap, trisuits, tri shorts, and tri shorts with pockets, De Soto has always strived to lead in innovation. De Soto also introduced the T1 Wetsuit, the first two-piece swimming wetsuit—the only one of its kind—and developed compression and cooling fabrics, starting with Arm Coolers. While other brands may have been around longer, many have changed hands so often that their original spirit has shifted. De Soto has remained independent, owned by the founder, and continued to innovate with a passion that goes beyond the pursuit of being the biggest brand, focusing instead on doing it for love.