Blue over socks development record

At Struct, Blue Over's flagship store, the socks from Nara's sock brand <Nishiguchikutsushita> are very popular. It is quite common for customers who have selected sneakers at our store to ask, "What kind of socks will go with these shoes?"

When you buy shoes, you also buy socks. This is a very natural thing, but I realized that it might be a little more important when it comes to socks that go with blue-over shoes.

This time, staff member Egawa will be responsible for all aspects of the development of the Blue Over Original Socks <b_OFFICIAL COTTON RIB SOX>. What is the story behind the creation of casual and colorful socks that slightly betray the image of blue overcoats?

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Everything from the development of socks

At the beginning, I wrote, ``When it comes to socks to match with blue-over shoes, they may become a little more important.'' The reason why I thought this way is that blue over sneakers are uniquely simple. In other words, depending on the socks you match, your impression will change dramatically .

Furthermore, the model ``Mikey'', which can be said to be synonymous with Blue Over, is made of a single piece of leather made of brightly colored velor, which is one of its charms, and ``Shorty'' and ``Copoli'' also have different designs. Due to its simplicity, it has a large area and a color scheme.

For those who usually wear black, white, or brown shoes, wearing shoes with a distinct color may be a bit of an adventure in itself, and the socks and clothes you choose to match may change as well. Is it not?

On a personal note, the socks I pair with my blue overcoat shoes have always been white cotton. That's why <Nishiguchikutsushita>'s Egyptian cotton ribbed socks do not interfere with the design of the shoes, and they are also thick enough. Perhaps because it uses extra-long cotton, it has a rich cotton texture that goes well with the blue-over leather. It's also extremely comfortable to wear. Honestly, if you pair it with Blue Over, there's no better answer than this. The more I think.

It's best to pair blue overcoats with high-quality, plain socks. Because of this tacit understanding, we have not sold original socks until now.

yes. As you can see from the comments above, contrary to the unspoken agreement, Blue Over designer Watari often wears colorful socks. Doesn't it go well with a simple blue overcoat ? You may think you're shy about socks, but in reality, these casual, colorful, and slightly sporty socks strangely match the blue-over sneakers and look great.

Surprisingly, it doesn't seem like you should just pair plain socks with a simple blue overcoat! It was at that moment that I felt a new side of Blue Over, thanks to the combination of socks unique to Watari, who designs Blue Over.

Following Watari's styling, we would like to suggest socks to Blue Overwear users that are fun to pair with Blue Overwear.
We have decided to start developing ``high-quality socks that are a little casual and colorful, and fit perfectly with blue overcoat'' .

Consult with Mr. Nishiguchi!

Once I decided to do that, I consulted Mr. Nishiguchi of Knitwin (Nishiguchikutsushita), who had me make some novelty socks to commemorate our 7th anniversary! And then I went to the meeting without any hesitation.

Request from Blueover
・I want the overall look to be casual and a little sporty ・Egyptian cotton ribbed socks are ideal for comfort ・I want to add something special to them instead of plain colors ・I want them to be long enough that I can't see my skin when I cross my legs

After all, I'm an amateur when it comes to socks. At first, we had a rough request, but as we talked with Mr. Nishiguchi, a sock expert, we gradually settled on the specific specifications for making the samples.

Arrival of first sample

Shortly after the meeting, the first sample arrived from Mr. Nishiguchi. The b mark is a little flatter than I expected, but I will adjust that eventually. The most important thing is comfort and size . Each brand member actually tried them on.

As expected of Mr. Nishiguchi. My personal impressions are that the shoes are finely detailed and I really like the comfort and feel of the shoes. The length is nice and you can see a glimpse of the B mark when you wear the pants.

However, when Watari, who has different foot sizes and heights, wears the shoes, the knitted fabric stretches, making them a bit see-through . Considering the overall atmosphere of this development, I would like it to be a little more casual and sporty .

What adjustments should I make to get closer to the ideal blue oversocks? While I was talking with Mr. Nishiguchi, I realized that the size of the knitted fabric seemed to be the key ...

From first sample to second sample

What I noticed after actually wearing the first sample is as follows.

What I noticed in the first sample
- When men wear them, the fabric stretches and looks thinner - The ribs are too thin, which doesn't give the ideal casual atmosphere.

When I told Mr. Nishiguchi about these two points, he found out that the cause was apparently the gauge. Gauge refers to the size of the stitches, but it is true that we did not specifically request the gauge at the first meeting. By increasing the size and gauge of this stitch, you can create a casual atmosphere. At the same time, the amount of thread used changes, making the price higher .

Of course, if the price goes up, we can't just compromise by keeping the gauge as it is, even though it's not what we imagined. I decided to have a larger gauge for the second sample, even though it would be a bit more luxurious.

The second sample with adjusted gauge has arrived.

Oh! This is true. Just by changing one gauge, the atmosphere is clearly different from the first sample. Compared to the first sample, which has a fine, high gauge, the second sample has a soft, low gauge. A casual atmosphere has emerged!

In the first sample, the parts that stretched and became transparent when worn, are no longer noticeable with the low gauge. By the way, Mr. Nishiguchi's quick thinking made the sponge part of the sole of the foot stretch a little, which is a small detail, but it has a big impact on the look and feel of the shoe.

Colorful thread sample book. I decided to choose 5 colors from these and check them with the final samples. I matched it with Mikey's standard colors and chose a thread color that felt right.

Requests for the final sample - Keep the horizontal size of the mark as it is, adjust the ratio, lengthen it, check color development

Finally, the final sample has arrived

The ratio of marks, color development, and even texture. The final sample has arrived, perfect in every way!

While the black and white are designed with an emphasis on ease of use, the black has a fluorescent blue mark and the white has a navy b mark to give it a focal point.

Khaki, orange, and yellow are a striking color scheme that is perfect for adding color to your styling.

By the way, there are two sizes: 23-25cm and 25cm-27cm.

When you line up the samples, you can see that the specifications are changing little by little. In the final sample, we also adjusted the design of the b mark.

When I actually tried it together with Mikey, the result was a glimpse of a new side of Blue Over, just as the original concept was.

When I got involved in the development of socks, I was surprised at how changing just one gauge could change the impression so much. I would like to thank Ms. Nishiguchi for attending to me in the world of knitting with such skill.

I also wore the sample Olive shoes ahead of time, and the sponge on the soles of the feet is soft yet provides firm support, making them very comfortable to wear. When I see other staff members wearing yellow, it looks cute and easy to match! Next time I'm aiming for yellow.

I hope all the blue over fans will enjoy the combination of this <b_OFFICIAL COTTON RIB SOX> and blue over.