Dueple Socks offer a pop of color and exceptional comfort, creating a light accent for your feet. This is no surprise, as the founder, Nathan Levy, has over 30 years of experience in the sock industry and is a true authority in the field.
Originally from Israel, he has worked globally in planning, production, and marketing of socks in countries like Italy, Canada, the USA, and China, but since the pandemic, he has returned to his hometown in Israel. I had the opportunity to speak with Nathan via Zoom.
Akiko Ichikawa (A): Hello! How have you been?
Nathan Levy (N): At my age, I can only go positively. There’s no time left in life to think negatively (laughs).
A: That's true. There are many things going on, but positive thinking is very important. Wearing lovely socks every day can really lift your mood! I wanted to ask how you started your sock business.
N: My dream is to compile everything about socks into a book. Socks have evolved dramatically over the 30 years since I entered this industry. I don't know why, but socks often lead the way in innovation within the textile industry. The shift of production bases from Israel to Turkey began with socks.
Thirty years ago, there was no industry around here in Israel, and everyone was engaged in agriculture. So, the idea came up to start a manufacturing business, and we thought, "How about making socks?" At that time, Israel was beginning to develop its textile industry. I was sent to Italy to research the cutting-edge situation.
As a complete novice, I went to a family-run factory where the techniques had been passed down through generations, and at first, I was laughed at. However, after sticking around for about a week and watching the machines every day, one day I suddenly understood the entire mechanism. The factory workers were surprised and wondered if I was a spy or something (laughs). Since then, I started visiting Italy every three months to learn new sock technologies.
A: So, you established a sock factory in Israel.
N: Yes, I started with four machines, but later I was invited by that Italian company to become an area manager for technology exports to Israel, Turkey, and the Middle East. I established a production base in Turkey, expanded into the Western markets, became CEO, acquired a Canadian company, and produced socks for Nike and other sports brands. It’s a long story...
A: How did Dueple Socks come to be?
N: There are two types of machines for manufacturing socks: double-cylinder and single-cylinder. The double-cylinder style was mainly used in England 60 to 70 years ago, and at that time, over 90% were double, but later Italy developed the simpler single-cylinder production process, which became mainstream. When I started my sock business, I was promoting the single-cylinder style worldwide.
However, for true sock lovers like me, we know that real socks can only be made with the double-cylinder method. They have distinct shapes for the right and left feet, and once you wear them, you can never go back to single (laughs). The structure of the knitting is complex, which makes the fit on the toes completely different. In Turkey, where Dueple Socks are manufactured, there are over 30,000 machines, but only 500 are double-cylinder. I think it’s less than 5% worldwide.
The brand was inspired by a summer day when I was at a café in Berlin, where my daughter was studying abroad. I was watching the feet of people passing by. Everyone was rolling up their pants to ride bikes, and their socks were showing. But everyone was wearing similar colored socks, and I thought, "It would be wonderful if they wore more colorful socks." At that time, the only colorful, high-quality socks were silk ones from Italy that cost hundreds of euros, so I decided to create socks made from good quality cotton using double-cylinder machines, and I started in 2017.
A: How was the SWIT model, which eliminates pressure on the legs by adjusting the rib pitch in stages, developed?
N: I have a very handsome son who developed diabetes at a young age. He had severe swelling in his legs and was cutting off his socks with scissors to take them off. So, I developed a design that minimizes pressure on the legs. Since then, it has become popular not only among diabetes patients but also among pregnant women and those in professions where they stand a lot and struggle with swelling, as well as regular people who find them comfortable to wear.
A: The story of products and brands born from family interactions is wonderful. By the way, who are the unique models featured on Instagram and elsewhere?
N: They are all friends and associates of the brand. My friends from my generation, who used to only wear dull-colored socks, now wear colorful socks.
A: What is your favorite color, Nathan?
N: I have them all, but maybe red!
interview & text by Akiko Ichikawa
Dice&Dice ONLINE STORE "Dueple"
Originally from Israel, he has worked globally in planning, production, and marketing of socks in countries like Italy, Canada, the USA, and China, but since the pandemic, he has returned to his hometown in Israel. I had the opportunity to speak with Nathan via Zoom.
Akiko Ichikawa (A): Hello! How have you been?
Nathan Levy (N): At my age, I can only go positively. There’s no time left in life to think negatively (laughs).
A: That's true. There are many things going on, but positive thinking is very important. Wearing lovely socks every day can really lift your mood! I wanted to ask how you started your sock business.
N: My dream is to compile everything about socks into a book. Socks have evolved dramatically over the 30 years since I entered this industry. I don't know why, but socks often lead the way in innovation within the textile industry. The shift of production bases from Israel to Turkey began with socks.
Thirty years ago, there was no industry around here in Israel, and everyone was engaged in agriculture. So, the idea came up to start a manufacturing business, and we thought, "How about making socks?" At that time, Israel was beginning to develop its textile industry. I was sent to Italy to research the cutting-edge situation.
As a complete novice, I went to a family-run factory where the techniques had been passed down through generations, and at first, I was laughed at. However, after sticking around for about a week and watching the machines every day, one day I suddenly understood the entire mechanism. The factory workers were surprised and wondered if I was a spy or something (laughs). Since then, I started visiting Italy every three months to learn new sock technologies.
A: So, you established a sock factory in Israel.
N: Yes, I started with four machines, but later I was invited by that Italian company to become an area manager for technology exports to Israel, Turkey, and the Middle East. I established a production base in Turkey, expanded into the Western markets, became CEO, acquired a Canadian company, and produced socks for Nike and other sports brands. It’s a long story...
A: How did Dueple Socks come to be?
N: There are two types of machines for manufacturing socks: double-cylinder and single-cylinder. The double-cylinder style was mainly used in England 60 to 70 years ago, and at that time, over 90% were double, but later Italy developed the simpler single-cylinder production process, which became mainstream. When I started my sock business, I was promoting the single-cylinder style worldwide.
However, for true sock lovers like me, we know that real socks can only be made with the double-cylinder method. They have distinct shapes for the right and left feet, and once you wear them, you can never go back to single (laughs). The structure of the knitting is complex, which makes the fit on the toes completely different. In Turkey, where Dueple Socks are manufactured, there are over 30,000 machines, but only 500 are double-cylinder. I think it’s less than 5% worldwide.
The brand was inspired by a summer day when I was at a café in Berlin, where my daughter was studying abroad. I was watching the feet of people passing by. Everyone was rolling up their pants to ride bikes, and their socks were showing. But everyone was wearing similar colored socks, and I thought, "It would be wonderful if they wore more colorful socks." At that time, the only colorful, high-quality socks were silk ones from Italy that cost hundreds of euros, so I decided to create socks made from good quality cotton using double-cylinder machines, and I started in 2017.
A: How was the SWIT model, which eliminates pressure on the legs by adjusting the rib pitch in stages, developed?
N: I have a very handsome son who developed diabetes at a young age. He had severe swelling in his legs and was cutting off his socks with scissors to take them off. So, I developed a design that minimizes pressure on the legs. Since then, it has become popular not only among diabetes patients but also among pregnant women and those in professions where they stand a lot and struggle with swelling, as well as regular people who find them comfortable to wear.
A: The story of products and brands born from family interactions is wonderful. By the way, who are the unique models featured on Instagram and elsewhere?
N: They are all friends and associates of the brand. My friends from my generation, who used to only wear dull-colored socks, now wear colorful socks.
A: What is your favorite color, Nathan?
N: I have them all, but maybe red!
interview & text by Akiko Ichikawa
Dice&Dice ONLINE STORE "Dueple"