What’s In a Name?
SpatzWear, named in honour of spats (a Victorian-era garment
used to guard shoes from ‘spatter'), came about after its founder, Tom Barras,
grew tired of training rides being cut short due to cold feet. The problem he
found, was that traditional shoe covers were too short, and rainwater and road
spray was able to trickle down from the top of the cover. Tom, a former professional
cyclist and cycling coach grew tired of training rides being cut short by cold,
wet feet—as you would when you need to spend hours upon hours on your bike each week. Tom set about seeking an alternative option. Not satisfied with the options on
the market, having a background in industrial design, he created his own solution,
from materials bought on the local market.
From Prototype to Market
After a bit of a false start in 2006, Tom hit on a successful
prototype when afforded more time to devote to development after his pro
contract ended. An opportune encounter with Olympic-triathlete Alistair Brownlee
on a wet training ride, led an admiring bystander to become and active part of
pushing the product forwards and gave Tom confidence in the wider interest in
his product. Come 2018 and Spatz had a product ready to launch on the market.
It wasn’t long before demand far outstripped supply.
The Range Expands
Spatz have since expanded their range to gloves, socks, leg
warmers, base layers, among other things. The base layer has been specifically
designed for wearing under a Castelli Gabba. It’s designed to sit away from the
skin, uses a quilted fabric which is quite thick, but at the same time is
light. While the ridges of the base layer rest on the skin, most of the garment
is set to sit further away keeping you warm but dry. As you’d expect from a company
that prides itself on making garments fit for the harshest conditions, all of
the clothing they produce is well engineered and intended to offer protection against the elements.
