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Nice Laundry

Phil Moldavski and Ricky Choi want to change the relationship men have with their sock drawers. Sure, brands like Happy Socks and Anonymous Ism have made some pretty cool looking ones, but a lot of guys simply won't shell out $15 or $20 per pair to make sure their feet are as well-dressed as the rest of their bodies. Nice Laundry hopes to bridge the gap between what's fashionable and what's affordable by offering socks in packs of 6 pairs for $39, and 18 pairs for just under $90. The latter is enough to replace your entire sock drawer, which is why they're also offering to recycle your unwanted ones. Using the same factories as many retailers like J.Crew and Polo, the result is socks that are especially nice for the price. Nice Laundry's Ricky Choi took some time to speak with us about their mission.

Moldavski and Choi
Why do guys have such terrible relationships with their socks?

When you open the average guy's sock drawer, it's filled with boring socks, mismatched pairs and tons of ratty or missing socks. And we bet that there are some socks that you always wear first and the same ones always left over at the end. We want you to love your whole sock drawer because it's one of the first things you open every morning.

What makes a good sock?

It starts with the materials. A good sock is primarily cotton or another hearty, natural material like wool. Stay away from socks with a high synthetic content—they stick to your feet and make them sweaty. Other important features include an unobtrusive toe seam, a smooth fabric hand-feel and a ribbed cuff that will keep your sock up and that perfect mid-calf length. Lastly, you want socks that range from classic to contemporary when it comes to styling, and mild to wild to suit your every mood.

 
Going on with that, what makes a good sock brand? You've got guys like Rob Kardashian coming out with labels that are often corny, while Nice Laundry seems to toe the line between accessible and informed.

Good brands don't just sell you a product, they deliver a solution, and we've tried to embrace that here at Nice Laundry. We've taken an approach that allows our customers to refresh their entire sock drawers with just a few clicks. We've also taken the price-gouging out of the equation. Finally, we're even going to help you make room in your sock drawer. Send us your old socks and we'll recycle them.

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    Your feet produce half a pint of perspiration a day.
How do you take care of socks?

How socks hold up after washing is important, and it's something we've paid a lot of attention to. Ever get a pair of socks that felt really nice, only to have them shrink and become very rough after a wash? No bueno. Our socks are made from pre-shrunk, enzyme-washed cotton, so they'll be able to withstand many wash/dry cycles while still staying soft and smooth. And fold your socks in half when they go in your drawer... don't flip one cuff over the other. Your sock's elastic will thank you.

 
Tell us more about this sock recycling program ...

This is something we're very passionate about and wanted to make it an integral part of our brand. The US generates 19 billion pounds of PCTW a year (that's post-consumer textile waste, to throw some industry jargon at you). And the country's on-track to hit 35 billion pounds by 2019. We want to do our part to help get that number to zero, and so with every order we're going to include a prepaid shipping label. We're working with one of the nation's oldest and largest textile recyclers so when you send us your old socks, they'll be recycled into cool things like home insulation. Refresh your sock drawer and do some good in the process, who doesn't like that?

 

Back the Project

Pledge $39 or more to secure six pairs of socks.

(End Date: Monday, April 15th at 6:15 am ET)

 

Published on

March 28, 2013

Written by

Jian DeLeon

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