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portland designed, bootstrapped built,
function first
we got on a call with kevin fallon and
dave dombrow, the two co-founders of
speedland, and about thirty minutes in we
realized we were talking to two people who
genuinely cannot help caring this much
about shoes.
kevin and dave have been building footwear
together for over 25 years, through nike,
puma, and under armour, before landing in
a loft space inside the chris king bike
parts factory in portland, where speedland
now lives. two founders, two contractors,
and a single organizing principle: cut out
the telephone game.
at big brands, athlete feedback travels
through agents, marketing managers, and
product planners before it ever reaches
the person who can change the shoe. then
you get a whole other cycle of product
briefings and market fit review, and by
the time the feedback arrives, kevin told
us, it barely sounds like the original
note. at speedland, an athlete runs a
prototype and calls kevin directly. he can
change it that afternoon. that's the
model.
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