Sequined, short, long, colorful… The sock has become a real fashion accessory. As proof: for ten years, the market has continued to grow. Nearly 400 million pairs of socks are sold each year in France, but 90% of them come from abroad. France on the move , the Europe 1 program, unearthed three French manufacturers, who have developed an original concept around this little piece of fabric. What make you want to dress your feet in silk, Scottish thread or cashmere ...
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Orphan socks , the ecological sock
The production of socks is a relatively unecological process. Creating a 60-gram cotton pair requires 1,350 liters of water, the equivalent of twenty showers. To reduce this expense, Marcia de Carvalho, founder and artistic director of Orphan Socks , had the simple idea of recycling old socks, those that go to the trash because of a hole for example, to make new ones. . "We transform these socks into yarn, to give a new life to this textile," she explains at the microphone of La France bouge . "The idea is to transform the useless into beautiful and useful. We do not only make socks, but also sweaters, hats, gloves, etc." All of these creations can be found in stores, in Paris, or on their website.
My red socks , the custom sock
My red socks first became known by selling in France the famous red socks of the Italian house Gammarelli, known to dress papal ankles for several generations. But the originality of this Parisian boutique, nestled in the 15th arrondissement, is mainly due to its custom socks. Do not look, you will only find there! "Custom socks do not exist anywhere else in the world," says Jacques Tiberghien, co-founder of the label.
Depth of the mesh, tightening of the elastic, width, color, pattern ... My red socks adapts to all forms of foot and calf, while bending to the most extravagant aesthetic requirements. "Before Christmas, we had a client who has five residences. He wanted each of his five residences to have his sock drawers strictly identical. He therefore made us embroider the names of his residences under the sole," says Jacques Tiberghien .
Bonpied , the united sock
For a pair of socks purchased, Bonpied offers a pair to an association, so that it can be redistributed to the homeless. All for an average price of 18 euros. It was while marauding the homeless that Sandrine Vergnory-Mion, co-founder of Bonpied , had the idea of developing this concept. "In the field, people systematically asked me for socks. These are light items, not bulky, and which will quickly be useful," she explains. "People on the street travel between 10 to 15 km each day to go from resource to resource. As a result, their socks wear out very quickly." Bonpied models can be found on their website.