Every year, in the 30 days before Christmas, we optimize our diaries like Tetris bricks to be able to meet relatives, friends and colleagues and exchange ritual greetings.
A party every evening!
In order not to fall into the trap of monotony and present ourselves at the last appointment with the same enthusiasm as the first day, we range from "reinforced" aperitifs to themed dinners!
We binge, we drink, we have fun, but... when we finally... the infamous moment of exchanging gifts arrives..
As if by magic, already after opening the second package, all the enthusiasm that we had managed to accumulate during the evening turns off suddenly ..
But how is it possible that a person who knows me so well gave me such rubbish! We grew up together... he knows my tastes!
You concentrate, unleash your best hysterical-forced laugh, hug your friend and head home, postponing the necessary comments until you get back in the car with your partner.
What I have summarized for you in a few lines is what happens to all of us every year with around 77% of the gifts we receive! (..the statistics speak for themselves!)
So what to do?
Believe it or not, it's been years This thing disturbs me deeply and I'm trying to give my contribution to humanity by channeling a fair amount of my energy towards solving this age-old problem..
Well aware that it was not a radical solution to the problem but rather a simple soothing action, in 2011, together with my dear friend Gianni, we launched the first online barter site in Italy : soloscambio.it (later to become swapick.com to be more suitable for foreign expansion... but that's another story and I don't want to bore you with my memories of a childhood that has now evaporated )
We wanted to prevent unwanted gifts from left to rot in the various cellars and attics of the town and Soloscambio.it allowed these objects to be given new life.
Starting from the sacrosanct assumption that it is quite difficult for an object to be terrible in absolute terms... It is instead more realistic to think that there is at least one individual who could appreciate what others consider appalling...
The important thing, as always, is to be able to connect supply and demand!
I don't want to bore you by revealing the details of the algorithm that we had gradually perfected... however we had managed to ensure that each user was only offered exchanges in line with his interests and consequently on our site the majority of exchange proposals they were accepted! (think that some users have exceeded 1000 trades!)
In the following years I had the opportunity to analyze an enormous amount of data.
What is recycled the most (I won't tell you how many unwanted gifts were added every year in January), what people like, what they don't like, who likes what, etc.
I tried to put all this information together with the ambition of finding the recipe for the "perfect gift"
.. And the answer is as obvious as it is banal!
The perfect gift is the one that meets the taste of the person receiving it.
But then because , if we know the tastes of our relatives and friends well, on average are we wrong to buy 77% of gifts?
On the barter site we managed to get most of the proposals accepted simply because, knowing the interests of each individual user, the algorithm prohibited them from being "spammed" with offers of objects not in line with their tastes !
So I said to myself.. Now that I know exactly the recipe for the "perfect gift"..
All I have to do is invent the "Perfect Gift".. The Gift That No One Will Recycle..
HI! I'm Luca Radici and in 2020 I founded Individual Socks! (which actually took advantage of over 5 years of experience I had with Soxplay, but that's another story too..)
WHO WE ARE ADDRESSING TO...
Let's start by clarifying who we are NOT addressing ..
We are not addressing all those who think of the gift as "something to do", an "inevitable nuisance".. A bit like going to the dentist..
I started this brand to help people find the “Perfect Gift” ..
What no one would ever want to recycle!
And so... what are the ingredients for a “Perfect Gift ”?
- It must be targeted!
- It should give you an experience!
There are a lot of people who enjoy doing unexpected gifts..
gifts not necessarily linked to a particular occasion ..
gifts that without fail are greeted with immense joy , amazement and emotion from anyone who receives them !
Gifts made "from the heart"...
And we turn exactly to these people! To those who, like you, enjoy giving something special to those close to him!
One of these people is my wife... an esteemed professional but also a sweet and caring mother and a patient and understanding partner.
Like most women, she has to divide herself between a thousand priorities.
Too many things to do and... very little time available!
I often see her late in the evening browse here and there looking for a "thought" for someone who perhaps has done you a kindness or as a demonstration of affection towards a loved one.
Do you know what happens most of the time?
Despite the infinite options available online, choosing the "right" gift turns out to be an odyssey... one click after another without adding anything to the cart because you don't want to settle for a generic or banal gift...
And there isn't one deadline peremptory dictated by a specific occasion, postpones the search and..
put it off today.. put it off tomorrow.. that laudable thought risks remaining hidden under the list of countless "things to do"..
And who knows how many other people, like my wife, encounter the same difficulties every day...
This made me think...
Because my wife always manages to find amazing restaurants where we can enjoy ourselves in company, corners of paradise where we can spend our holidays, exhibitions of emerging artists that leave you speechless...
But can't you find the gift you were looking for with the same ease?
When I was a child I remember...
That we went to restaurants to eat well; today you go to the restaurant to eat well, but above all... to live an experience...
That we went on holiday to relax; today you go on holiday to relax, but above all.. to live an experience..
And when do you have to buy a gift? Is there anyone who gives you an experience?
So I tried to put together all the pieces of the puzzle..
Even though the world is invaded by products of every type and kind..
There is no object – within everyone's reach – that makes you live an experience..
So I decided to create a new brand that wasn't limited to a simple product like all the others... but...
An object useful and sophisticated where every single detail must be studied to guarantee a unique and unforgettable purchasing and use experience.
The Best Gift Every Woman or Man Would Like to Receive!
But why not treat yourself to a little "pampering" too?
There is nothing wrong with rewarding yourself for reaching an important goal or simply for the pleasure of treating yourself to a whim.
Treating yourself to something new every now and then is a gesture of gratitude towards ourselves, a way to celebrate our daily efforts.
AND SO I CREATED INDIVIDUAL SOCKS.
This is not an approved and pre-packaged object.
But a magical combination, to make unforgettable the experience of those who buy and those who receive the socks.
AND TO BE MORE CONCRETE..
Let's start with product..
An object unique and personalized :
- Socks for men, women and children 100% Made in Italy , individually selectable so you can compose each pair with your initials
- Personalized with embroidered initials positioned - clearly visible - above the heel
- Embellished with details from sartorial flavour, handcrafted "like once upon a time"
AND THEN WHAT ELSE WE OFFER..
An integral part of our product is the Packaging ..:
Our socks are Hand-packaged inside transparent recyclable PET jars with aluminum caps to preserve the softness of our socks and protect them from any external element that could damage them.
To further enhance the " unboxing " experience and ensure that it crystallizes in the minds of those who unpack the socks, it is possible to further embellish the product by adding:
- Elegant Boxes Wood
- “Sweet” boxes heart-shaped metal containing the themselves initials of the socks made in the finest Belgian chocolate
- Note best wishes handwritten with a personalized wax seal with the same initials as the socks
WE DIFFER FROM ALL THE OTHERS BY...
- A Personalized Product but «Ready To Buy», i.e. without the long waits that customizations often involve
- A Exclusive packaging, embellished by hand packaging
- A Total control of distribution and prices (our socks are sold only in top-level boutiques and on our e-commerce to avoid "out of control" discounts being applied which risk diluting the exclusivity of the product)
AND TO CONCLUDE ..
- You We refund 100% of what you spent if the gift was not appreciated or if for any reason you changed your mind
- There Let's work to help those in need by donating socks to a charity in Asmara, Eritrea (maybe you didn't know that socks are the most coveted product for the "homeless".
- You We guarantee passion and commitment to ensure an unforgettable experience for both those who buy and those who receive the socks! Who can boast a track record with 97% satisfied customers?
You deserve the best! and we are here to offer it to you.
OK.. Stop for a second..
What you just read.. is what my copywriters wrote..
And basically it's all true and correct.
Indeed..
- I launched this brand because I have a hatred visceral towards everyone waste ;
- The product is maniacally cared for, handcrafted with excellent materials, personalized and packaged by hand ;
- And much appreciated as a gift and by anyone who uses it (this is also confirmed by the reviews and the fact that very often those who receive them as gifts then buy them back).
After all, we chose to turn to a extremely sophisticated customer and rightly demanding and we cannot afford to disappoint your expectations with a product and service that does not meet your very high standards!
But in reality there is something more... something that I can't grasp by rereading what I read above .
Let me explain myself better and tell you a little more about myself.
I will never stop thanking my mother and father for 2 very precious teachings and.. (it seems incredible..) a Porsche advertisement that I read on " Quattroruote " when I was a kid.
My mother always told me “You are the best judge of yourself!” and my father instead: "Doing things well or badly takes more or less the same amount of time... so you might as well do them well right away!"
And the Porsche advertisement?
A single image and just under 3 lines of text that left an indelible imprint on my mind:
A middle-aged man was traveling relaxed in the third lane in his Porsche Carrera. Suddenly a Punto flashes its headlights at him and honks to tell him to make room for him. And he, with a pleased smile, moves to the second lane aware of the 4000 rpm still available to him while the other was traveling at the "red" limit at 7000 rpm risking the engine exploding.
This advertisement and the teachings of my parents have engraved in my mind 3 fundamental principles :
- always be critical of ourselves ,
- taking care of every detail with obsessive precision
- always have available a secret weapon (like the 4000 rpm of the Porsche) that can be used if necessary to excel.
Armed with such teachings, I began my journey.
I have always given my best, both at school and at work, but I often found myself having to submit to the will of a boss who was deaf to my arguments. I felt I was worth more than him (or at least that I had dedicated more energy to delving deeper into that specific problem and consequently, I knew more about it than him) but I had to accept his directives even if I didn't agree with them in the slightest.
And this situation was wearing me down , I felt like I was in a golden cage. How could I give up a salary that many considered "indispensable" (with a family and 2 mortgages to pay)? I swallowed bitter pills of compromise and changed jobs every three years , in the hope that things could improve.
Then, like a bolt from the blue, I was offered a position with an even more "unmissable" salary, but with a project that seemed almost unachievable.
Maybe inside me I already knew that that passage would represent the bridge towards the realization of my dream to become an entrepreneur.
And so, without thinking too much I accepted the job. After just six months, however, the project didn't take off, the brand closed and I was fired.
It was February 14th and the following week the lock down would begin.. but I didn't know it yet..
The time had come to prove to myself how much I really was worth..
I used to work to my new project 17 hours a day , I didn't earn anything and I was investing all my savings to manage the start up phase.
The moments of discouragement were the order of the day.. the lock down was over but the recession period It didn't help, on the contrary...
I interfaced with every day shops in extreme difficulty due to the economic and social situation dictated by the recent pandemic and they did not feel like trusting a new project even though they considered it very interesting.
I regretted when I had a secure salary and I had to manage brands with consolidated turnovers.. the problems that once seemed enormous to me.. were nothing compared to the situation I was experiencing now..
I had to take care of everything ... strategy, operations, making ends meet but above all... finding customers at a time when no one wanted to buy...
The temptation to give up everything and go back to work for someone was very strong. I couldn't afford to "play at being an entrepreneur" without results.. My self-esteem had sunk to the ground .. I felt like a good-for-nothing!
Until..
The first store agreed to buy my brand! Even though it was a modest order... I had never felt such great joy in my life (except when my son was born!) I had finally managed to give life to something concrete and convince someone to buy it... All the efforts, the disappointments and sacrifices had taken a back seat.. I was so proud that I couldn't wait to show it to the whole world .
I wore my custom ed socks every day I was proud to show off my initials ! As if those initials were a declaration of success, of having finally reached an important goal..
It is hard to explain..
A strange mechanism had started in my mind...
that is... if before I was always looking for a renowned brand to confirm my status, now I had found an object that put ME first and allowed me to combine my "personal brand" with prestigious brands. A bit like putting my signature on a beautiful painting!
Now you understand why I've never wanted to embroider the Individual Socks logo on my socks?
Because it would have taken away light from the "personal brand" of the wearer .
A certainly bold and courageous choice... but extremely consistent with the i values of our brand which has the sole purpose of being a vehicle for highlight those who wear our socks and offer them a distinctive element which , with extreme grace and refinement, can help highlight your style .
Many consider me crazy ! They absolutely do not agree with the fact that he decided not to put a logo on the product but only to embroider the initials of the person who will wear it.
They will copy you! they keep telling me...
They're probably right.. it's true.. they will copy me.. actually.. someone has already tried to do it.. but what they don't understand is that this thing it's absolutely not a problem!
No one wants to stand out by wearing a copy.. no one wants to convey their personal brand through a fake and no one wants to give a fake to a loved one..
.. and if anyone wants to do it..
it certainly does not reflect the mentality and status of those who proudly wear Individual Socks and it is much more coherent that they turn to a copy..