We love our products, but we love them even more when there's a 'story' behind them, and Sock-ons have a great story!
The story behind sock-ons
Proud mother of 5 children Kezi Levin desperately needed to find a solution for her baby son's irritating sock obsession. He obviously didn't like wearing socks, and despite the cold, he would always remove them! When Kezi had to attend a family wedding that year she knew she needed to find a solution that didn't involve dressing him in tights!
Whilst trying to sleep one night Kezi came up with an idea that might just solve the problem. Being unable to knit, she frantically cut up a pair of tights and glued them together to create what would be the first prototype for her new invention. To Kezi's delight, the idea worked!
Kezi used her graphic design business to fund Sock-ons and was able to raise enough money over 3 years to get the product launched. Despite being strongly advised against producing the product herself by many business advisers, Kezi wanted to do this herself. Her sheer determination and wanting to prove people wrong became a successful combination.
What are Sock-ons?
Sock-ons are an ingenious design that prevents your child from removing their socks. The softly woven elastic material locks the babies' socks gently into position. Your baby is then unable to pull their socks off from the toe because the Sock-ons gently lock around the heel of the foot. A simple solution to such a tiresome problem!
Kezi's background at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design helped her to come up with the funky design of the sock-ons. Whilst studying for her education Kezi learnt the hard way how to manage her time effectively whilst going through pregnancy. The time management skills now allow her to run her own graphic design business whilst looking after her five boys.
Award winning design
Kezi's Sock-ons invention was short listed as a finalist in the "Mom Invented" competition. This then encouraged Kezi to work even harder to get her invention produced and on the market. She spent, in total, 5 years getting sock-ons completely off the ground. It was a challenging project which has bought her many new skills and experiences.
In 2008 Kezi's greatest achievement since starting Sock-ons came through winning the baby industry's most prestigious award. Sock-ons won the "Kind Und Jugend Award for innovation 2008". This helped take Kezi and her product into the international market and provides her with continued success.
Simple solution turns into award winning product
For Kezi, all she wanted to do was attend her family wedding without embarrassment! She knew her baby son would throw or drop his sock somewhere completely inappropriate! It's bad enough when your child tries to shout when the vicar asks "Does anyone here know why these two people here cannot get married", but to have to go running into the aisle to retrieve a thrown away sock; well that's more than a little embarrassing!
Having found the perfect solution for her son’s irritating sock relief problem, Kezi was able to use her ambition to push her right to the top. So, she proved people wrong, worked hard at her business, and found a way of staying at home with her children whilst solving a problem many parents share! How inspiring is that?
