About
William & Sterling - Socks worth taking care of!
SEK 1,521,516
4,418
ITS TIME TO GIVE BACK!
For every backer we get, we will donate a pair of long, durable, warm, high quality socks to a homeless person. These socks come from an existing stock, and will not have an effect on the projects margin. We know It’s not much, but It is a small step towards the right direction. Together we are strong!
Every day, in this blue heart, we will update the total number of socks we are giving away to the homeless.
Probably the best No-Show socks for men in the world
Strolling down the street, you want to look good in your new sneakers. You don't want to stop every 2 minutes and pull your socks up and you don’t want to show the rim of your socks at the same time. And going sockless - well that hurts and will most definitely stink! And when you do take your shoes off, you don't want the room to clear, because of how your socks smell and how they look.
Impossible? It used to be, but not anymore.
At William & Sterling, we decided to develop what is probably the best No-Show socks for Men in the world. We have created well-designed anti-microbial No-Show socks, made to stay on your feet and keep them fresh throughout the whole day. And our technical silicon solution is eco-friendly with no by-products.
Design and Prototyping
Our journey started in 2015 with an ambitious idea, to make the best No-Show socks for Men, period! We often found ourselves borrowing or buying women's No-Show socks, as there was so much more to choose from compared to the men’s sections. We started asking around and found that every man that have tried out the sockless style, faced exactly the same problems as us. Either they:
- Wore ankle socks and had the sock-rim show above their shoes
- Bought socks from women’s department - but the smaller sizes made them ill fitted
- Wore generic No-Show socks that ALWAYS roll off their feet
- They went totally sockless and got smelly and blistered feet
We started our designing process with these issues in hand. We then spend many hours and thousands of dollars on prototyping. For the past 10 months, we have distributed thousands of socks to gain feedback. This massive data was then used to develop our products even further.
Designed in Sweden, and Made in Europe
As quality and design are the key components to out No-Show socks we needed to ensure that the hardest quality and ethical standards were being followed by our manufactures. We have therefore chosen to team up with world renowned manufacturers in Europe to keep to our promise. These experts have decades of experience within the textile industry, and sustainable sourcing.
During the development process we tackled many challenges:
Our main challenge was to find out why No-Show socks ALWAYS roll of the feet. It took us over 8 months of research and development to figure out the root of the problem, and to come up with the perfect solution for a one size fit. Most No-Show socks on the market also have a silicone strip on the heel, but they still roll off. We found however, that the Silicone most brands use, the Size and Pattern of their silicone strip, and its Position, is not helping the socks to stay up. We have taken all these four points to another level, and created socks that stay up the whole day.
Our second challenge was to figure out why feet smell, even when we wear socks. We found out that our feet, on an average, produce over 17oz (500ml) of sweat per day. And since bacteria love to feed on sweat, it gives off a strong smell as it eliminates waste products. So it’s not the sweat itself that stinks, it’s the by-products of the bacteria living of your sweat. That is why we decided to collaborate with a European manufacturer of a patented, organic anti-microbial solution for textiles. All our socks are anti-microbial treated, meaning that we will dramatically reduce the germs in your socks and shoes, hence reduce the unwanted smells.
Our 3rd challenge was to design No-Show socks that you actually want to show off. The limitations of the male sock selection leaves men to buy socks from women’s departments where size and shape is not ideal for the male foot. Problems such as peekaboo toes, bare heels and smelly feet are a common ordeal where it often ends up with men walking around sockless and barefoot - adding up to blisters. After months of observing and studying the global sock industry and the way men use their No-Show socks, we not only focused on the functionality of the socks but we also set out to make them fashionable. We designed 12 patterns to complement both your casual and formal look ending up with socks that look good, feel good and smell good.
For us to keep the high quality and design that we have set out to reach, we needed to ensure that we work with the best manufacturers for our socks. Therefore, we need to cover our manufacturers large MOQ's (Minimum Order Quantity). By reaching a larger order volume, we will be able to reduce our purchasing price.
Support our vision of taking this product to market. Every contribution counts.
Risks and challenges
There is no such thing as a risk-free business. However, we do feel that we are as close as one can get. We have worked hard on covering every aspect of this project in detail. As our products are now fully developed, we are ready to place our first large order. The MOQ's (minimum order quantities) are high, and thats why we need your support.
We are super excited to take this next step with you.
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Funding period
- (35 days)