Pearl Izumi is a company that produces sports apparel.

With origins in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan over 50 years ago, it began to be seen in the US around 1981 and is now formally known as Pearl Izumi USA, Inc. It has sponsored many bicycling teams, including the 1984 USA Olympic team.

DASH America dba: Pearl Izumi USA was founded by Davis Phinney, Andy Hampsten, Stan Mavis, & Hugh Walton who purchased the trademark from David Jacobs who founded Spyder and was the original distributor of Pearl Izumi in the USA.

Pearl Izumi has products in many sports including cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

, triathlon

Triathlon

A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...

, duathlon

Duathlon

Duathlon is an athletic event that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format bearing some resemblance to triathlons. The International Triathlon Union governs the sport internationally....

, and running, but their primary focus is cycling.

The name Pearl Izumi USA, Inc. is derived from the gem "pearl" and an area of Japan known for its clear water "Izumi." Literally translated, the name means, "fountain of pearls."