Entrepreneur Vidushi Kanoria believes Gen Z and the millennial population use fashion to express their individuality and to stand out in a crowd. This group, between 15 and 40 years old, also form the audience that her quirky socks brand Soxytoes caters to.
The Noida-based startup specialises in designing funky socks featuring internet trends, millennial lingo, and other themes based on pop culture shows, food, and cute animal prints. Keeping a close watch on internet trends, it churns out fresh designs every month.
Vidushi says high fashion, especially noticeable socks, are transforming and disrupting the “previously sober and perhaps boring” accessory, globally. The entrepreneur noticed that well-designed and statement socks are a conversation starter.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tryst with non-conforming and trendy socks is testament to this. The politician once sported a pair of Chewbacca socks at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, a pair of mismatched R2D2 and C3PO Star Wars socks during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland, and multi-coloured striped socks at the G7 Summit. His penchant for socks has kept the social media abuzz on more than one occasion, a fad that seems to resonate with the younger population looking for fashion trends on the internet.
“This disruption is making an impact in the Indian socks market also. We are therefore confident that there is more than enough space for Soxytoes’ growth in the market,” Vidushi says, emphasising the startup is helping an entire generation of pop culture enthusiasts to express themselves and get noticed through its range of bold and eye-popping socks and (now) masks designs.
From avocado and pizza prints to geometric, polka dotted, and striped socks, and featuring mismatched socks with word plays like Hustle, Netflix & Chill, Nerdy Birdy, the startup assures quirky designs that “easily draw people’s attention”.
When Vidushi moved to Delhi for her new job as Enterprise Account Manager at Idea Cellular, a relative, Aayush Goenka became her go-to person in the new city. Little did she know they would come together as co-founders to start Soxytoes in 20178
However, she says, the duo is now a dream team. Aayush brings two decades experience in leading a white label socks manufacturing and exporting company and Vidushi adds colour with millennial ideas and trends.
Priced between Rs 200 and Rs 250, Soxytoes received a positive response when it started selling on its website and leading ecommerce websites and entered the brick-and-mortar space by setting pop-up stalls at various events and malls.
