05.08.09
Recession… bankruptcies… bailouts… Amidst all this, BBS Hosiery of West Carrollton, OH, USA, went headfirst against the odds and opened up its warehouse for sales of its Bamboo EcoSox directly to consumers in November 2008. Judging from the crowds at the warehouse, which is open only Fridays and Saturdays, the decision was the right one. Local workout centers report that the socks are flying off the displays and are ecstatic about socks that feel like silk, are wrinkle resistant and dry quickly. What's more, products made from bamboo fibers, as these are, have natural anti-bacterial and sun protection factor components, like a natural sunscreen.
Bamboo? The stuff that they used to make fishing poles out of? The grow-like-crazy plant that tolerates drought, pests and thrives on a tiny bit of fertilizer? That bamboo? Yes, indeed. Well, not the dried bamboo poles – just the harvested green leaves and stems, which are spun into thread much the same way as cotton. Unlike cotton, however, which requires heavy watering, large doses of pesticides and fertilizer, and which yields only one crop a year that can decimate the farmland, bamboo is a sustainable crop which requires no pesticides. It is the fastest growing woody plant in the world; some species can grow three feet or more a day. It rates very high on the ecology scale because a stand of bamboo will generate more oxygen than a stand of trees, and can be harvested three times a year.
The whole plant – stems or canes as well as leaves – is put through a regenerative production process in China to produce a pulp and pectin, which are then spun into a fiber that has non-wrinkling qualities similar to those of rayon. Joseph Markowski, the CEO of EcoSox, says, "We stay on top of quality control because we buy only certified yarn from our Chinese importer."
There is a descriptive acrostic for Bamboo which lets the consumer know at a glance why and what they're buying:
B uttery soft
A nti-Bacterial
M oisture Wicking
B iodegradable
O dor Control
O rganic
Markowski, explaining that the CEO is also chief cook and bottle washer for a small company, says that Bill Birkett, the president, has been in the business of selling socks for more than 25 years. For most of that time, the business served as a manufacturing rep for a major sporting goods brand as well as big box customers. While the company was successful for many years, it saw a real opportunity with the bamboo products for niche marketing, especially since the manufacturing of regular socks was going offshore and there was a surplus of equipment in the US textile industry.
Prior experience taught them that maintaining and servicing accounts is a key to success, and that well made socks will be reordered consistently. Conversely, cheap, thin or poorly made imports will not. Once they reviewed all of the benefits and advantages of bamboo socks, they knew they had a winner on their hands. "Think about it," Markowski says, "an organic product which has an arch support, is durable and biodegradable when they do eventually wear out, and one that wicks out moisture."
Diabetics with sensitive feet have a need for socks that don't irritate. "Customers who are diabetic swear to us that our performance socks are great," Markowski says, "partially because the toe section is actually knit on the machine as opposed to normal sock manufacture where a toe closure machine is used, creating a slight ridge inside, versus ours, where the toe portion is totally smooth." Other customers report that even with strenuous exercise the bamboo socks keep away blisters.
"We have accounts we visit several times a year and we want to build our brand slowly and carefully," he adds. "We already have added color socks for men and women and we will have a bamboo thermal sock for next winter," Markowski says.
"We began our marketing on the East and West Coasts because people there are more familiar with the properties of bamboo," he notes, "and we are currently focusing on the middle part of the country as well as marketing from our website – www.ecosox.com." Interesting note: Ecosox has already shipped orders to Iceland and there is a strong European interest stemming from the ecological characteristics of the bamboo material as well as the quality associated with "Made in the USA" products. US customers include schools, soccer and baseball leagues, exercise operations, hospitals and sporting goods stores.
The go-to guy for Ecosox labels and graphics products is Robert Reed of nVius Graphics (pronounced envious), of Albertsville, AL, USA. Ecosox worked with Reed for years when he was doing graphic design for a label company, and when he branched out to start his own trade shop, Ecosox stayed with him because he knows their business.
"I worked for a label company," Reed says, "starting at the bottom and working up to running a flexo press. After three years, I helped the label manufacturer develop in-house graphics design and platemaking, then expanded to a larger imagesetter and exposure unit as the business grew." Two years ago, Reed bought out Melton Graphics in Tennessee and set up his own trade shop in Albertsville. The fact that nVius Graphics has retained 100 percent of Melton's customer base is a strong testimony to good business practices.
"As a trade shop, we usually deal directly with the printers," Reed says, "So our relationship with BBS Hosiery is certainly unique. They call us and tell us in very general terms what they want and then trust us to design and deliver the finished product to them. We don't normally handle the production of labels, but because of our long history with BBS, they wanted a one-stop shop that included having the labels and other point-of-purchase materials produced."
Ecosox, featuring packaging design by nVius Graphics |
The whole plant – stems or canes as well as leaves – is put through a regenerative production process in China to produce a pulp and pectin, which are then spun into a fiber that has non-wrinkling qualities similar to those of rayon. Joseph Markowski, the CEO of EcoSox, says, "We stay on top of quality control because we buy only certified yarn from our Chinese importer."
There is a descriptive acrostic for Bamboo which lets the consumer know at a glance why and what they're buying:
B uttery soft
A nti-Bacterial
M oisture Wicking
B iodegradable
O dor Control
O rganic
Markowski, explaining that the CEO is also chief cook and bottle washer for a small company, says that Bill Birkett, the president, has been in the business of selling socks for more than 25 years. For most of that time, the business served as a manufacturing rep for a major sporting goods brand as well as big box customers. While the company was successful for many years, it saw a real opportunity with the bamboo products for niche marketing, especially since the manufacturing of regular socks was going offshore and there was a surplus of equipment in the US textile industry.
A well made product wins
Prior experience taught them that maintaining and servicing accounts is a key to success, and that well made socks will be reordered consistently. Conversely, cheap, thin or poorly made imports will not. Once they reviewed all of the benefits and advantages of bamboo socks, they knew they had a winner on their hands. "Think about it," Markowski says, "an organic product which has an arch support, is durable and biodegradable when they do eventually wear out, and one that wicks out moisture."
Diabetics with sensitive feet have a need for socks that don't irritate. "Customers who are diabetic swear to us that our performance socks are great," Markowski says, "partially because the toe section is actually knit on the machine as opposed to normal sock manufacture where a toe closure machine is used, creating a slight ridge inside, versus ours, where the toe portion is totally smooth." Other customers report that even with strenuous exercise the bamboo socks keep away blisters.
"We have accounts we visit several times a year and we want to build our brand slowly and carefully," he adds. "We already have added color socks for men and women and we will have a bamboo thermal sock for next winter," Markowski says.
Golfing socks from Ecosox |
The go-to guy for Ecosox labels and graphics products is Robert Reed of nVius Graphics (pronounced envious), of Albertsville, AL, USA. Ecosox worked with Reed for years when he was doing graphic design for a label company, and when he branched out to start his own trade shop, Ecosox stayed with him because he knows their business.
"I worked for a label company," Reed says, "starting at the bottom and working up to running a flexo press. After three years, I helped the label manufacturer develop in-house graphics design and platemaking, then expanded to a larger imagesetter and exposure unit as the business grew." Two years ago, Reed bought out Melton Graphics in Tennessee and set up his own trade shop in Albertsville. The fact that nVius Graphics has retained 100 percent of Melton's customer base is a strong testimony to good business practices.
"As a trade shop, we usually deal directly with the printers," Reed says, "So our relationship with BBS Hosiery is certainly unique. They call us and tell us in very general terms what they want and then trust us to design and deliver the finished product to them. We don't normally handle the production of labels, but because of our long history with BBS, they wanted a one-stop shop that included having the labels and other point-of-purchase materials produced."