Sock Therapy is a brand that manufactures a line of nonesuch socks. We met its founder, François-Xavier Delahaut.
We’ve told you that already, and we probably will repeat it again and again : Couvre x Chef was originally founded to promote the work of people we know and appreciate. We try as far as we can to get interested by project led by people in our entourage. So it was an exciting shock when I first discovered that a friend I had known in college back in the days, had founded his brand of « made in france » socks : Sock Therapy. Sock Therapy is a mono-product brand that exclusively focuses on this accessory which is often neglected but happens to be very important in one’s outfit (one of my guilty pleasure actually is to put my sneakers on, wearing Scottish lisle socks) !
So Sock Therapy is a line of socks, designed in Belgium and made in France. I actually found the design amazing and wanted to know a bit more about the project’s origin and the manufacturing quality, so I contacted François-Xavier Delahaut (thanks to the Facebook magic !) to ask him a few questions and get to know more about his brand !
CxC : Hello FX, and congrats on your new project ! Can you tell us about the reasons that pushed you to embark on such a venture ?
Fx : First of all socks are an accessory (for real it’s more than that, it is essential : we wear them everyday !) often forsaken. People wear discount bad-quality socks, bought as large packs in big ready-to-wear stores. They often are black (dull, at best) and don’t last for a long time. Quality, like often when we deal with mass ready-to-wear products, is bad, which explains the price. « Pay low, receive low ».
Secondly, when I looked for great socks, I didn’t find what I was looking for. There are a few « fashion » socks producers already, but what they offer is either too kitsch, or too sophisticated (thereby not sober enough), and when the product looks cool, the quality is disappointing. Only a few brands (a little number of them, really) had interesting products part of their offer that corresponded to what I was looking for. Thus, the fact that their socks (which were, for most, produced in Turkey) were produced in an industrial way didn’t allow those brands to achieve a satisfying standard of quality.
CxC : Personally, I find the design of your socks amazing (I got a crush for this Hola Cheetah model) ! How do you come up with your design inspirations ?
Fx : I have studied design and interior architecture, and I wanted to create a product that would be « balanced » in its design : the correct mix between colors, provocation and good taste. Not to mention the manufacturing quality, that had to be excellent.
CxC : And speaking of that, can you tell us more about the product in itself ? Why did you choose to manufacture your socks in France ?
Fx : The socks are made of combed cotton by 78%, polyamide by 18%, and include 2% of elastane. They are knitted from a yarn that is already paint, which enhances the quality as the dyeing is better fixed on the cotton, which comes from India and Egypt. The elastane comes from france.
The manufactory in which the socks are knitted is located near to Limoges and is Oeko-Tex certified. Its a family company, that is nowadays managed by the third generation. The people there focus on quality, over quantity or profit. They strengthen and continue a know-how that has been transmitted from a generation to another.
Every sock is finished and checked by hand, one-by-one. Their durability is excellent : I own socks that were manufactured in this plant which still look immaculate even after 3 years of use and washing in the washing machine (they even went through the dryer !). Such quality has a price though : the manufacturing costs are 5 to 8 times higher than in Turkey (which, itself, is more expensive than China), for example.
CxC : Anything to add ?
Fx : There are no brands in France (or even Europe) offering this kind of designs and a similar spirit to ours. Sock Therapy actually is the expression of how I envision socks. They are fun and quality socks, that can go along your sport or steer-wear outfit as well as a more classic attire, even if you wear trousers with a shirt, a blazer and leather shoes.
We invite you to like Sock Therapy’s Facebook page, and we highly recommend you to visit the brand’s e-shop (the site’s in english, and they ship worldwide !) to browse the whole collection. Up to January 20th every model is sold for just 15€, and there’s an offer that lets you acquire whole collection for 225€.
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