From the birth of the brand to today
Our story
1994
The birth of the idea
The Swiss pioneer Samy Liechti was freshly baked university graduate and had just started his first job as a junior consultant in an advertising agency. Young and little familiar with the customs in the business world, he was already allowed to First business meetingG participate with top -class Japanese business partners.
Since only selected employees are sent to business meetings with important business people at business meetings, he found it appropriate to change quickly. Two were put on from the Foundus Black Socks, the freshly ironed shirt was put on and the tie was tied up. So he went with pride and self -confidence To meet the Japanese.
The business side of the meeting was expected to be expected, and the result was satisfactory for everyone involved. After the meeting, the whole delegation became one Traditional Japanese tea ceremony invited. When entering the tea house, it quickly became clear that according to the Japanese customs The shoes pulled out had to be. And it happened.
The total embarrassment. The limitless embarrassment. It was clear and could not be overlooked. The Socks didn't have the same resume. The left sock appeared in strong black and showed a wide structure. The right, on the other hand, was washed out light black, with narrow patterns, and to make matters worse, the big toe also seemed through the sagging tissue.
He would like to be in the Cherry wood soil sunken Or would have put the head into the earth of the Bonsai pot. The last hope that it was just a bad dream, he had to bury immediately, and it became more and more clear to him that there was no rescue. He had to go through there.
Of course, it was unavoidable that the Japanese hosts and the boss also Misfortune took note. With a lot of clock and human size, however, they covered the faux pas. So he sat there in the lotus position, trying to hide his feet and without ever being able to really follow the course of the conversation. In the hosts of the hosts, he not only had to look neglected, but also seemed dreamy. But he just couldn't help it, there was only one thing in his head: the damned socks!
After he got through all of this and moved again on culturally familiar terrain, he gradually realized that his experiences with the Japanese had to have a deeper meaning. Fate had chosen him to eradicate human humiliation from unsuitable footwear in this world. The mission was now called: To free the world from socket worries step by step. This resulted in the idea of offering socks in the subscription.
With the start of BLACKSOCKS In June 1999 it wasn't just The first sock subscription, but also born the first online subscription. Even Netflix started with the subscription for films and TV series when the flat rate introduced the flat rate in September 1999. Therefore may BLACKSOCKS proud Swiss pioneer in the field of online subscriptions designate.
1999
No future without history
Imagine: It is 1999. Google went online a year earlier. The Internet is hardly populated, only 11% use the Internet several times a week (this includes emails!). Only 10% of them have already carried out a transaction via the Internet. And this year goes BLACKSOCKS As a collective company online - with only a black calf sock and a black knee stocking.
We handle the money carefully. We make mistakes. No customer, no sales, no awareness and no trust, we started. But the sock subscription starts slowly. At the end of the year there are just over 1,000 customers.
2000
We write black
The first money is earned and of course immediately reinvested. E-commerce is still a marginal phenomenon. Many customers have made their very first e-commerce transaction with us.
And then we are honored for the first time. The renowned Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) first led the E-Shop Award through. Basically intended for Swiss online shops, foreign shops were also taken into account due to a lack of Swiss shops. BLACKSOCKS received the “site to watch” label.
2001
Especially now
At the beginning of 2001, the collective company becomes an AG and a supporting office becomes a main job. This creates the basis for further growth. Served by the end of the year BLACKSOCKS 5,000 customers. The first orders from abroad arrive.
To do this we will be from Design Prize Switzerland recognizes in the service design category. The jury: «With the socks in the subscription BLACKSOCKS A non -serious but constant everyday problem elegant and elegant with a soothing shot of self -irony. »
2002
Not a stupid idea at all
In May 2002 the jury left on Best of Swiss Web Started: «With the sock subscription BLACKSOCKS Avoid annoying sock purchases. The absurd pairing of e-commerce and socks turns out to be a clever consideration: the market is large, the goods are uncomplicated, the shipping is easy. The subscription shipping brings regular customer contact. » The top-class jury continues: «With a very good business idea BLACKSOCKS made a name out of nowhere. "
2003
More recognition
After less than 4 years we take the step and ask who knows us in our home market in Switzerland: 26.9% of adults. Today it is over half of the Confederates. K-Tipp & Kassensturz also know us and give ours Calf socks Classic The top grade good.
But the good press should not make us lazy. In October 2003, for the time being-for the time being for Swiss customers-we started with a sock recycling service. Each delivery includes a return label for the used socks on Texaid. 80% of the socks collected made a second career in the second or third world.
2004
BLACKSOCKS Redesign
There is a new web page for his 5th birthday. With pictures! With two full-time positions and the same sock partner, we serve over 25,000 customers from 30 countries this year. We want to celebrate this with a new sock: the cashmere-silk sock. Successful men finally treat themselves to cashmere sweaters. Really successful men go even further.
2005
We almost can't come with us anymore
The founding partner Marcel Roth performs his shares in Samy Liechti. So Samy Liechti becomes the only partner. And then everything goes in a blow.
Was the only European company BLACKSOCKS nominated for the “Copernican Award”. The nomination referred to the category “Small Companies up to $ 100 million sales”. Before the well -known photo service Flickr, we were proud to accept the award with pride on April 27, 2005 in New York in the Rainbow Room of the Rockefeller Center. The Copernican Award is awarded by the Customer Experience Council to companies that place the customer at the center of their actions and business model and thus achieve above -average performance.
In order to go one step out of the year, one of our customers was in the Customer Experience Council and nominated us. We won and the hype around the award lets us grow 70%. The 3 people of BLACKSOCKS are totally surprised.
2006
A breather
We collect ourselves. More and more copycats appear, but most socks providers disappear as quickly as they came. In the meantime, we prefer to focus on new product launches. Short sneaker socks make it into the range and keep their place today.
2007
The revolution: underwear
When the foundation was founded, a small contract was signed on a napkin that no non-socks are launched before BLACKSOCKS does not have 10,000 subscribers. This number was exceeded in 2007 and the desire for underwear came from the customers.
At the “Ars Electronica 2007” in Linz (A), an installation of the University of Applied Sciences in Northeastern Switzerland causes a sensation. A matrix display was made from our boxer shorts dolphins over the street. The visitor was able to write a message with wood letters that were digitized and communicated over the street using underwear.
2008
A million calf socks
While Zalando is just starting, our oldest product, the calf sock, is being sold for the millionth times. We were also tested by K -Tipp and Kassensturz as one of the 14 best -selling black men's socks - and for allevilness, fit after washing, lint formation, coloring and processing quality. With 5.2 out of 6 possible points we were test winners!
But don't worry. It can also be without socks: starts to match the beginning of summer BLACKSOCKS Then go to barefoot with the license allocation: As soon as the mercury climbed over 27 degrees Celsius at the customer's livelet, the subscriber receives the official permission of the Socken-Abo inventor, his BLACKSOCKS Take off and spend the rest of the day barefoot.
2009
10 years BLACKSOCKS
You cannot be awarded every year, so we celebrate ourselves after 10 years. The year before BLACKSOCKS from the business magazine described as a dinosaurs of the Internet. We are not extinct.
For this we launch with the Business Light A smooth, light sock for everyday life made of merced cotton. The new sock is still developing into one of our bestsellers.
2010
Color in the dark
A small step for humanity, a big one for BLACKSOCKS. After more than 11 black years, they convinced us not to paint everything black. Now the time has come: the classic calf sock, our bestseller, can now also be obtained in anthracite, navy and red.
But that's not all. Best of Swiss Web In 2010, in the special category “Simply the Best”, the most excellent Swiss websites have been awarded since the Internet was invented. On the shortlist of the best sites and thus in the closer choice for excellent, directional internet projects also came BLACKSOCKS. The e-commerce pioneer is one of the exclusive circle of the five best Swiss websites “Ever”. The fourth re-design of the website pays off.
2011-2012
Test passed
Samy Liechti, founder of BLACKSOCKS, will be the first with the newly created «Digital Lifetime Award»The Interactive Advertising Bureau Switzerland (IAB) awarded his life's work. In the meantime, we are praised by K-Tipp for our quality with the overall grade 5 for the third time.
And then comes what the sock world has never seen before! BLACKSOCKS If an iPhone app is launching, socks with an RFID and a reader: smart socks. The system has the socks communicate with the Internet and skyrocketing visits.
2013-2015
More and funky
Striped Business Light Socks, Urban Comfort socks made of organic cotton, shirts and polos. The range is continuously expanded. The most prominent, of course, with our funky socks in collaboration with Philipp Fankhauser. The colorful socks make mood and bring music, as well as a good mood into the cloakroom.
2016-2018
Just one click away
In the meantime we deliver 104 countries in a whopping! Of course, we want to simplify life all of these customers even further. Therefore, we launch the more button, which makes shopping with the principle "more of the same" more easy than ever. A thought and a double click are enough, and the favorite product is already ordered.
And we also solved the problem of unsightly outstanding socks in shoes. With Invivisible socks for the barefoot look. You don't see the short socks in the shoes, but they still protect the feet and avoid friction.
2019
20 years BLACKSOCKS
When we sold the first socks online in June 1999, we would not have dreamed that it would become millions of socks. Our bestseller alone, the Waden sock Classic, made a career and developed into a millions of millions. In the meantime, other models have also broken the millions of border.
In 1999 the name was also a program. BLACKSOCKS Only black socks sold until 2008. It's different today. Our plain -colored, patterned and brightly colored socks climb every year and have certainly come to stay.
2020 until today
Good for people & environment
Full of enthusiasm and zest for action, we have ventured into new socks and underwear creations. Above all: the Organic Comfort Socks, organic sneaker socks, as well as the organic Boxer Albertine - all made of the finest organic cotton. Our socks have always been good, after all, they are made from the highest quality materials in Italy - but the organic range is a little better for the environment.
We also boost various initiatives to protect the planet in addition. Our plastic packaging is soft and we are now even plastic -neutral.