How the sockscription came about

The original sockscription from BLACKSOCKS was the first ever online subscription, making it a pioneering service in Swiss – and perhaps even global – e-commerce history.

Find out why the inventor of the sock subscription, Samy Liechti, has worked with socks since 1999 and how the sockscription came about here.

To history

Samy's first steps in business

Swiss pioneer Samy Liechti was a freshly minted high school graduate and had just started his junior consultant job at an advertising agency. Young and not yet well acquainted with the practices of the business world, he was allowed to take part in his first business meeting with prestigious Japanese business partners after a while.

As only selected employees were sent to business meetings with important business people, he thought it would be a good idea to have a quick wardrobe change. He donned two black socks procured from the office pool, a freshly ironed shirt and a tie. He then made his way, bursting with pride and confidence, to the meeting with the Japanese guests.

The business part of the meeting went as expected, with a satisfactory outcome for all parties. After the meeting, the entire delegation was invited to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. As they entered the teahouse, it became clear that, as is the custom in Japan, one had to take one’s shoes off. And that's when it happened.

The major embarrassment

The total mortification. The infinite embarrassment. It was clear as day. Samy Liechti’s socks were definitely not a pair. The left sock was a bold black with a wide structure. The right, however, was a washed-out black with a small pattern and, to top it all off, his big toe was to be seen peeking through the fraying fabric.

He wished the cherry wood floor would open up and swallow him, or that he could bury his head in the soil of the bonsai pot. His last hope, that it was all just a bad dream, disappeared in a flash as it became ever clearer that there was no rescue here. He just had to get through it.

It was a given, of course, that the Japanese hosts and his boss would take note of this misfortune. However, they showed great tact and human kindness in covering up the gaffe. And so, he sat there in the lotus pose trying to hide his feet, without ever really being able to follow the conversation. In the eyes of his hosts, he must have come across not only as unkempt, but also as a daydreamer. But he just could not think about anything else, he had only one thing on his mind: those damned socks!