TANAKA SOKKEN｜SOCKS

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Brand

Colorful and comfortable socks to wear every day

Tanaka Textile

1921
Socks
Kazunari Tanaka

History

Kakogawa's proud sock-making culture

TANAKA SOKKEN is the in-house brand of Tanaka Textile Co Ltd, located in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture.

Tanaka Textile is a long-established sock manufacturer founded in 1921 and started the original brand TANAKA SOKKEN in the year of its 100th anniversary.

SOKKEN means "socks" in Dutch.Cotton cultivation has flourished in the Harima region since ancient times due to the region's mild climate and low rainfall.

During the Edo period, cotton, salt and rice, known as "the three whites of Banshu" , supported the finances of the Himeji clan.

Sock production in Kakogawa is said to have started with a resident who brought back a hand-turned sock knitting machine from China.

Thereafter Sock production gradually spread as a side job for farmers and became the second largest production area after Nara. In the Taisho era (1912-1926), mechanisation advanced and the textile industry developed dramatically.

Kakogawa's easy access to high-quality cotton and the nearby port, which was advantageous for exports, laid the foundations for the local industry.

Initially, socks for men were the main product, and elegant socks with a high-grade ribbed knit and one-point embroidery were sold as high-grade socks in department stores.

Since then, inexpensive socks have been imported from abroad and many factories have closed down, but we believe that we can recognise the value of our existence by continuing to produce good quality products for the user.

Currently, we continue to manufacture honestly to deliver quality socks, mainly on an OEM basis for major apparel companies.

Characteristic

Hand-linking for maximum comfort.

TANAKA SOKKEN's flagship product is a rib-knitted sock called "Glider Rib".

In 1921, the same year as Tanaka Textile was founded, a man successfully completed the first glider glide in the Kansai region from Takamikurayama, overlooking the Kakogawa River, and decided to make socks based on this story.

The socks are soft and fluffy, made using high-gauge knitting machines that reproduce even the most detailed patterns and advanced techniques that have been used for 100 years.

The seams at the toes are hand-linked by craftsmen who carefully finish each stitch by hand, so the seams are smooth and flat without puffiness.

The vivid body is embroidered with asymmetrical embroidery of "mountains" and "gliders" for a pop design.

Other socks with large patterns, which have been difficult to incorporate into socks, have also been realised.

If the pattern is large, the threads inevitably connect at the back, which makes the socks uncomfortable to wear, but through skillful adjustment of the knitting machine, the ideal socks in terms of appearance and comfort were achieved.

For Customers

Feel the goodness of serious, premium socks

At TANAKA SOKKEN, we want to go back to the basics of manufacturing and bring our customers the quality of "real socks" carefully finished by skilled craftsmen.

We have created the ideal socks with attention to detail: socks that make you want to wear them every day, socks that brighten and cheer you up, socks with novel colours and designs that you have never seen before.

We are proud to recommend these high-quality products, which are 100% produced in Japan.

These socks are suitable for a variety of situations, from casual to business, and make the perfect gift for your loved ones.

Please try them on and feel how comfortable they are.