Designer Spotlight: Blindmice Socks

A product of great quality with a cool design- when I can find an item with both qualities, I know that I've got a winner and that's how I felt when I found blindmice socks. Their sock designs and packaging are like nothing I've seen in the market. And more importantly, their socks are beautifully made. The company is currently run by super smart and super nice Shannon Branley! These socks are perfect for baby showers and new baby gifts. Or just bring a pack over if you are visiting a friend with a baby- they are so easy and useful!

Jesse Walker, designer

	Shannon Branley, founder (and her son wearing blindmice socks of course)

In her own words, Shannon shares her story:

"My husband and I own two running stores, Fleet Feet Sports, outside Atlanta. About five years ago, at Fleet Feet, we started carrying a line of running socks called Balega, and they turned me, all of our employees, and just about everyone who shopped with us into a sock snob. Hand-linked toe seams, the perfect amount of stretch, the most comfortable, yummy feel AND they stayed in place. Sounds crazy to be so obsessed with a sock, but, honest, I wasn't alone! As my son outgrew his baby socks, I thought, Balega should make socks for little ones. They didn't. So I contacted the factory in South Africa and they agreed to produce for us. We created a line, Belleo, that we never brought to market. We were so excited when we got them back and they stayed on, but they were boring, pink, blue, stripes, not what we had envisioned. We hired a branding firm to help rename the company and work with us on designs. They actually brought the concept of selling socks in three's to us. As new moms, we got it immediately. We also loved the perspective they brought on patterns- a a pattern 'sophistication' while being childish through color. The concept for our first season and still now is reinventing traditional patterns in a bold, modern way for kids. Exactly a year after receiving our Belleo samples, we launched blindmice socks at ENK New York, October 2009 with product that looked as well as it fit!

We have so many fun ideas floating around the office, I am giddy to share them. More to come in the next seasons . . .

Included here are some fun shots from our last photo shoot, last week with famous children's photographer Jade Albert. The model search was through The Cute Kid and the footage was filmed for the pilot episode of Jade Albert's new reality television show. We saw 100 models that day and photographed 10 amazing kids!"