With their thin fabric and subtle, intricate patterns, Japan's Antipast brand of socks are highly regarded around the world. They're so fun and pretty, you just can't help picking them up.
The brand's name means appetizer in Italian. You're the main dish and your clothes, accessories and other items are appetizers to help you shine brighter -- that was the goal behind the name.
In 1992, designers Junko Jinushi and Kyoko Kato displayed their socks at a group exhibition in Paris, wanting to see if they were "a frog in a well, or if they could make it in the world." At the time, only European companies were eligible to participate in the exhibition, but Jinushi and Kato wrote to the organizers and received permission.
In 2005, they also began to make clothing, and since 2013, they have established an independent venue for business talks twice a year. Jinushi and Kato have sold their wares around the world in the volatile clothing business, and what's more, they've done it with socks, which can't be called a starring player in the fashion business.
Initially, socks were primarily a mass-produced item, and Jinushi and Kato aimed to produce something new. Taking inspiration from men's socks, with their intricate patterns woven in fine thread on thin fabric, they decided to make multicolored socks for women at a factory that produced men's socks. They also achieved success by selling in small numbers, drawing the attention of buyers around the world.
Every season, Antipast comes up with new patterns, trying to see how far they can go with patterns on the small canvas of socks. Delicate yet strong socks featuring subtle patterns are born through discussions with the trusted staff at the domestic factory, and developed from there.
It's not just women who look forward to Antipast's new patterns every season. They also make men's socks, and the brand has many fans among besuited accountants and members of other straitlaced professions, who say the only clothing they can have fun with is their socks.
However, it's not easy to sell products overseas, no matter how good they are. Businesses are affected by world events -- after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, American buyers suddenly stopped coming.
Antipast socks are currently sold in about 100 stores in 25 countries -- they're all places like famous select shops on the cutting edge of fashion and department stores. Exports account for about 40 percent of the brand's sales.
There are also many buyers who have been purchasing Antipast's socks for years, including a female buyer from South Korea they have worked with for 16 years. "Their products are original, they're like nothing else. Many customers look forward to them every time," the woman said.
Precisely because many stores have carried the socks for a long time, they'll stop buying Antipast's products if they lack freshness and other appealing elements. The designers said every time there's an exhibition they feel like they're taking a test, and that all they can do is work steadily and hang in there.
Expanding overseas is not easy for Japanese companies. It's even harder to maintain sales in other countries. Antipast's socks show us just how important it is to work steadily and be creative.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
