A combination of washi thread and anti-odour thread is used to create half in-socks that fit inside your normal socks
Worn under your socks, the SuwAshi Socks are able to absorb any sweat from your feet, while also being quick drying, letting you feel more comfortable in your own socks and shoes than ever before! You can also use them in summer as half socks, to stop footprints appearing on wood flooring or when you wear sandals! Enjoy the feeling of being barefoot without your foot being bare!
As the SuwAshi socks are made to be like toe socks, they fit into the webbing of the toes where a lot of sweat normally forms, and allows them to absorb this sweat. As well as this as the toes of the socks are cut, your toes have a sense of space and freedom.
As the main idea of the SuwAshi socks are to work as an inner sock, they are made to be half sized. As they don’t cover the heel, the foot doesn’t feel tight, and because the SuwAshi can be stretched, any size of foot can wear them!
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The SuwAshi are made using a combination of thread made of washi (Japanese Paper) which is absorbent and quick drying, and special polyester made to be anti-odour which eliminates the smell from any sweat, and helps to keep your feet smelling fresh, which in turn means that your socks are also fresh smelling!
Shikokuchūō City is home to various paper making companies, and this was where we met the camifine® material. Through that the SuwAshi socks were born! Shikokuchūō is located in Ehime Prefecture, and is the number one exporter of traditional Japanese paper, and Shirakawa Paper Co. makes the washi that is used to create the camifine® thread. I also grew up in Shikokuchūō City, and I am extremely happy that I can make a product that uses the amazing paper that is produced in the area. The paper that Shirakawa Paper Co. makes is sent to Sawada Co. who are based in Izumiotsu City, Osaka, where they then produce the camifine® thread.
By twisting together extremely thin slitted paper and polyester, a new type of thread is created, which can be washed and cared for very easily, while also having a quick drying functionality.
camifine®︎ is a registered trademark of Sawada Co.
Thanks to the natural unevenness of washi, it doesn’t stick to the skin, and this helps it to glide over the skin.
Washi has a peculiar feel to it, and some may feel put off by this feeling. But you shouldn’t feel worried about it. For those that sweat a lot, you only need about 3 minutes of wearing the SuwAshi socks to feel the difference and these initial feelings will disappear. Please try these socks out!
Using Lycra T-327C fibres, we are able to help stop musty smells and odours and help create a fresh smelling sock.
The material used is the freshFX®︎ fibre with is an elastic polyurethane fibre that is deodorising.
LYCRA® and freshFX® are trademarak of The LYCRA Company.
The SuwAshi Socks are all free size, meaning that both men and women alike can wear them!
Dark Grey Mocha Brown Light Brown Off White
Material used: Washi Thread, Polyester, Polyurethane, Cotton
Hatena Projectはてな企画
Kazushi Ishikawa & Eldest Daughter
This project was created as a collaboration between father and daughter!
The Hatena Project looks to make products that help to solve people’s problems. The name Hatena comes from the Japanese for a question mark! Our main items that we are making are items that are anti-odour, or deodorising using special polyethylene.
1｜How we came upon making the SuwAshi socks was actually down to a personal problem. My feet smelt bad. In order to help with this, my wife gave me some cotton toe in-socks. After trying them I found that they had a massive effect on the smell. That was 17 years ago, and since then, I’ve worn these types of socks about 300 days a year, approx 5100 days in total, and haven’t had a problem with smells when using them since then.
2 | It was thanks to my eldest daughter that we came about this washi version. Unfortunately my daughter inherited the way her feet sweat from me, but the style of toe in-socks I used were not stylish, and so she didn’t want to wear the socks. But when she tried them for the first time after about 7 years of recommending them to her, her reaction was priceless.
“Oh my god!!! These make such a difference! Why didn’t I try them sooner!!”
And from there, she mentioned that this is great for anyone that have problems with sweaty feet, that she wanted to create a pair that anyone wouldn’t have a problem with wearing, allowing them to live their life normally.
3 | In regards to items that are anti-odour, I actually deal with these types of products. When we started to design the SuwAshi socks, we looked at using a higher quality material, washi, or Japanese paper, as our base material. My home town is Shikokuchūō City, a town known for its washi, and my grandfather cultivated the plants that are used to make washi, and it was these thoughts that made me want to use washi for the socks. After many many tests and trials, as well as communicating with a variety of craftsmen, we were able to create the socks as they are now.
We hope that with this Kickstarter project, we can not only help those that have problems with sweaty and smelly socks, but also show of the amazing qualities of washi!
The SuwAshi name comes from the idea of mixing washi 和紙 or Japanse traditional paper with the word for bare feet or suashi 素足 in Japanese. The naming we felt was quite a funny play on words.
We feel that having bare feet is one of the best natural feelings that you can experience, as well as the second. That’s why we wanted to create a half sock that can give you the same feeling.
Points of caution
- A characteristic of Washi is it has a slightly roughness to it, so we advise people with sensitive skin to take care when using it. If you feel that your skin has become scratchy or irritated when using, please stop using the socks.
- After washing in the washing machine, the socks may shrink slightly.
- Please don’t cut any loose threads. If you turn the socks inside out, you may find some long thread nearer to the toe holes, but these aren’t defects. These loose looking threads are made to help the holes expand. If you cut the strands, then the socks will fray and holes will start to appear. If they poke out when wearing, just tuck them inside.
- You can wash the socks in a washing machine, however please use a washing net, and be careful of fraying. If you wish to use these for a long time we recommend washing by hand.
