In December 2019, when we first began to hear the murmurings of a lethal strain of a virus rearing its head on the Asian continent. Like the times before, we felt concerned over the news of a deadly pathogen that could gravely affect members of the world population but we never could have anticipated what Covid-19 would actually turn out to be or the effect it would have globally.
A Worldwide Pandemic
In January of 2020, Sockrates faced the first lockdowns in our factories in China and in Italy. Our factory was operated only by the owner while the staff was in lockdown. The closure of our factory in China forced us to move all orders to Italy, where they became overwhelmed with orders. Miraculously, our orders were still fulfilled! That’s right the famous city of socks never missed a beat! With everything they faced, they managed to continue operations flawlessly.
In February and March of 2020, most of the world had come to a grinding halt. Nobody could anticipate what would happen next or how long we would be stricken by the effects of the Covid-19 virus which now included being in lockdown for most parts of the world. At first, the fear was so great, no one knew what the future had in store or just how bad things could get but as days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, we did what we always do. We adapted.
Adapting one order at a time…
As we started to settle into what we now know was the first global pandemic of this century, the team at Sockrates Custom began to assess the impact on our business but also what we could do to accommodate newfound needs. Like most businesses, we knew we had to pivot, at least for the time being. But what could we do?
Something that will always be remembered about the covid-19 pandemic is the isolation and loneliness people felt while remaining at home during the lockdown. In the early days, people wanted to find ways to connect, ways to bring comfort to each other during this most unprecedented time. We realized that we could produce care packages and custom masks for companies and organizations looking to reconnect. By February 2020 we had set ourselves up to mass-produce masks and care packages that would be distributed to over 200,000 people worldwide.
The Pivot
Using our knowledge of sock manufacturing and distribution, we began offering custom masks and care packages. Much like custom socks, we were able to take our clients through a simple design process and ship their choices quickly. We were also able to use our shipping expertise to deliver each package directly to the recipient. Our clients really appreciated the fact that we could accommodate their efforts even while contact restrictions were in place. It was a privilege in such a stressful time to help bring a sense of care and normalcy to our clients.
We always pride ourselves in our ability to meet our customers’ needs and to make every order experience an easy one. Even with everything that was going on we were able to stay true to our brand values. Finding a way to continue our operations and bring comfort to people at the same time was so meaningful to us. For that alone, we are grateful.
Gratitude
18 months after the onset of this pandemic, we find ourselves with so much to be grateful for. We can’t express the amount of appreciation we have for the businesses and organizations who supported us, our team of Socktologists, and the factories who tirelessly worked to fulfill our orders.
Many of us have amazing stories of the little things (and big things alike) that kept us going this past year and a half. We are grateful for each other, for our clients, and for everything that made each day easier. We also had an opportunity to understand just how resilient we are. What we learned about ourselves is that there is always room for growth.
Our experience opened new doors for us making way for our new venture sockratesgifts.com, a curated sock box that is delivered directly to your door. Each box includes a 3-pair sock collection of crafted high-quality socks that you can gift or order for yourself. People love our socks but don’t always want to make a bulk order so sockratesgifts.com will make our products accessible to a wider customer base.
We know it’s been a tough time for everyone but we hope you can find the good and hold on to it. We are thankful for what we’ve learned and are looking forward to continuing to serve our customers for many years to come.
Mask Fact: We were able to produce over 200,000 masks at the height of the pandemic!
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