Socks are boring, right? This extra layer of protection for your feet usually comes in black and white, but Toronto’s Wesell is changing the game and adding a bit of spice and surprise to the mix.
The company officially opened their online store on New Year’s Day 2014 and has seen a jump in interest and sales. While the business is still incredibly young, owner Kevin Lee informed BetaKit that he always wanted to build “a socially responsible business for a long time.”
WeSellSocks.com does what its name suggests. They sell socks. Bold, colourful and comfortable socks at a $12 per month subscription price. Lee — one of the sock connoisseurs has yet to receive funding — would not give numbers but confirms that he has “the most amazing subscribers.” Every month subscribers will receive a new pair of socks delivered to their front door.
The socks are sourced from a few manufacturers and come in a ‘One Size Fits Most’ manner (Men 7-9.5 and Women’s 5-9.5). Picking the monthly sock “is very in-depth,” says Lee. He jokingly says he consults his astrologer to “decide what sock would best complement the constellations currently in the sky.” In reality, the socks are narrowed down to ones that he would wear himself, but for the subscribers who are women he speaks with a few female friends to make the final decision.
The bigger goal for is to eventually design and manufacturer the socks in-house. Lee said this is in the works but doesn’t “want to reveal too much— at least until everything is ready to go.”
Probably the best part of Wesell is that they give back to the community. Their site notes that “socks are oftentimes the most requested clothing item at youth homeless shelters. We want to fix that. When you purchase a subscription, a pair is distributed to you and someone in need every month. It’s our way of making the world just that little bit better.”
Lee stated that “Oftentimes business and socially responsible behaviour are mutually exclusive for one reason or another. I personally don’t believe they have to be.”
Source: WeSellSocks