By Amanina Mohamad Yusof
PUTRAJAYA: Yearning to create something different, young entrepreneur Ahmad Afiz Danial Mohd Khairuddin seized on a novel idea to introduce patterned socks (art socks or art on socks), and came up with ‘Talesocks’, with a batik theme and local elements.
Born in Negeri Sembilan, the creative director of his own company wants to make batik-themed socks as one of the iconic Malaysian souvenirs that can be bought by visitors to the country, either as a tourist or on a business ticket.
Sharing his unique story of selling ‘a souvenir that you can truly walk in and wear out’ with Bernama, Ahmad Afiz Danial said he decided to leave behind his career as an investment expert in a company that managed retirement funds, when he saw the potential for the socks business as an ankle art to flourish in the country.
“Back from studying abroad, I started working and I was often asked by clients and colleagues about the socks I wore. They were interested in my patterned socks and asked where I bought them.
“I thought, many people ask about it but in Malaysia there are not many choices of art socks, in a sea of plain and sports socks.
“Throughout my interest in collecting patterned socks, I never came across any socks designed with Malaysian elements such as batik, mangosteen and the Wau (kite). So I saw it as an opportunity to showcase what is in Malaysia to outsiders through the medium of socks,” he said.
Capitalising on RM25,000 in personal savings, Ahmad Afiz Danial said he was helped by his family to start a business selling patterned socks through an online medium in 2019, before expanding to a physical kiosk at one of the hotels in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Ahmad Afiz Danial, until now as many as 15 patterns have been marketed in limited editions which received a warm welcome from buyers, especially expatriates and foreign tourists who bought them as gifts for family and friends in their home countries.
Using combed cotton as a material to produce the socks, Ahmad Afiz Danial said Talesocks products, which are sold at a price of RM49 per pair, are made in factories in China and Malaysia to meet demand.
“In terms of comfort, Talesocks uses combed cotton which makes these socks more durable, when worn the pattern and colour of the socks are still intact and do not fade when washed.
“In addition to concern on comfort, we also ensure that there is exclusivity in these Talesocks where each release is limited and when the batch of socks runs out, we release another design,” he said, saying that combed cotton (no little balls of entangled fibre or Pilling) is softer than regular cotton.
He said in the future, his enterprise plans to produce socks that are suitable for recreation and open up opportunities for those interested in becoming a Talesocks agent.
“We also have plans to export our products to countries such as Brunei, Indonesia and the Middle East,” he said, adding that currently Talesocks has penetrated the Singapore market.
In addition to the physical kiosk at the Four Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Talesocks products can be found on the website www.talesocks.com or on social media Instagram and TikTok, @talesocks. – BERNAMA
