ALL good things come in pairs. Married couple and founders of Goodpair Socks Sam Wong and Fei Kweok’s sartorial eye for socks have earned them a space in a rather niche and often neglected segment in fashion.
Wong explains: “I guess it’s safe to say that ‘good’ is the best and most commonly understood word to describe anything that is valid and up to par. It’s a humble word that has set the path for us since our inception in 2014.
“If our socks could carry a spirit or message that can inspire, encourage or even stimulate creative thinking among wearers, then that would be amazing; think of it as a way of wearing and interpreting our story from your own standpoint.”
However, not all socks are created equal, hence, the most ingenious and authentic thing about Goodpair Socks is its executional artistry in knitting an ingenious idea or design into vibrant graphic vectors and pixel art, with their signature 80% cotton and 20% spandex-blend socks, as opposed to the run-of-the-mill nylon-blend in the market.
Besides introducing functional performance into the sartorial socks, incorporating sportswear textiles such as spandex into the composition also reinforces the construction to better retain its shape.
Wong cares about the balance of form and function, thus, using the highest gauge of 168 needle count density allows the socks to achieve utmost comfortability, durability and exceptional breathability in our equatorial climate.
“Picking which socks to wear is very much like picking which undergarment to wear according to the occasions,” as he explains, “It’s an intimate item, and most of all, it compliments your mood.”
Wong treats the socks as artworks, whereby a blank sock is similar to a blank canvas for artists.
“We believe in our unadulterated execution of exploring a thought until it becomes an idea to be the most genuine and honest process of sock making.”
Goodpair Socks’ primary collections are inspired by a question that Wong and Kweok find themselves fixated upon, or something that sparked their interest from observation.
The brand’s secondary line The Kawan Project, is an ongoing cross-disciplinary collaborative series with homegrown brands that explore the fluid themes in response to the changing landscape in the evolving fashion industry and also the world.
Wong shares: “To be frank, we didn’t think of that when we launched our first The Kawan Project with fashion label Motoguo in 2015. We were simply curious about what would happen when two creative minds collided, only to be surprised by the overwhelming response.”
Spurred on by the success, Wong became fascinated by the endless possibilities and the merging of visions, and decided to continue collaborating with other creative fields.
Goodpair Socks’ subsequent The Kawan Projects’ collaborators include shoe brand Nelissa Hilman, creative studio Fictionist Studio, Penang-based cafe Lunabarcoffee, embroidery brand Salang Design, and most recently with sustainable fashion label Anaabu.
“Oftentimes in collaboration, we feed off each other’s vast experience to gain fresh perspectives. We learn each other’s ways of conceptualising, designing, marketing, networking, selling power,” Wong explains.
“Working with brands who are not from the fashion world makes the whole creative process so much more interesting. It is only through collaboration that we’re able to break the mould and embrace new ideas we wouldn’t necessarily come up with ourselves.”
Take Goodpair Socks X Anaabu Bumi collection, which is inspired by mother nature – it includes a furoshiki bag that is both reversible and reusable as part of its gift set to be practical and functional.
The talk of sustainability has never been more critical in fashion, extending beyond the mere usage of sustainable materials, environmentally-friendly fabric dyes and meeting ethical labour practices.
Wong reveals: “Anaabu is clearly at the forefront of sustainable fashion, and has become our inspiration to set in motion sustainability aspects across our business. They’ve shown us ways in which a brand could reduce its carbon footprint.
“In all honesty, we’re only at the beginning of the ‘slow fashion’ movement; for significant change this big, or to achieve anything that is considered feasible, still takes time and process. The journey in sustainable fashion is a long one but also an important one that we’re working towards nonetheless.”
There are many other reasons Goodpair Socks is better than many brands out there that mindlessly create and produce.
It’s important to note that Goodpair Socks is made solely in Malaysia, instead of overseas, which reduces carbon emission during the logistic and shipping process. The brand also uses decomposable packaging with little to no plastic involved, taking only what it needs and nothing more.
