Clay Active's first goal is to offer a high quality sport sock, that looks good.
Our thinking was because it would be such a comfortable, performance-based sock, why wouldn't guys and girls wear it everyday? If it was stylish enough.
The first factory I went to said: "You can have function, or you can have aesthetic - you can't have both."
We didn't go with that factory.
After sampling socks from overseas and around Australia I finally found an Aussie manufacturer who could engineer stylish socks that would look so good athletes would wear them as part of their casual outfits.
But...
The first sample lot looked rubbish. I branded them kindergarten socks - they were an ugly grey and the dotted pattern really didn't translate from design to a sock.
For five minutes I was down in the dumps, but soon got back to the drawing board. I quickly got to work on new designs.
Meanwhile, the good news with these kindergarten sock samples was that after a few months of hard wearing, washing and leaving them out on the line in 40 degree heat they were wearing really well. They didn't shrink, they held together, they were still soft and great for sports wear. I found that when I went to the sock drawer, these were the pairs I grabbed.
With simplified designs based around the Clay Active Shapes Logo and letting the colour be the hero I awaited the next samples.
The result was crew length socks that look cool, are colourful, work with your shoes and outfit - and are purpose-built for sport.
Plus as a bonus, they're Australian-made in a factory with an Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.
So I placed an order.
The construction of the sock features a generous covering of terry cushioning around the heel, toe and entire bottom of the foot; it has two areas of ventilation over the top of the foot so for a light, breathable feel; and they have a simple ribbed upper so they stay at whatever height you want to them.
This construction was deliberate to create a sport sock you could wear everyday, not just for running, or the gym, tennis, basketball, football or any other sport.
And we've made them in mint, yellow, lavender, grey and white.
And so far so good.