Why bacteriostatic silver ions will change your sock game

By Cody Gohl April 29, 2016

welcome to your new favorite socks 1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Every new fashion brand begins with a single idea. For many, it might be a signature suit or a trendy jacket, but for the founders of Maison Impeccable, it turned out to be the perfect sock.

Inspired by a love for both fashion and science, designers Ben Yelian and Kevin Shih developed the Stealth Sock, an aptly named product that combines a sleek and trendy design with performance technology. For the designers, the sock embodies the practical yet stylish aesthetic they hope to achieve in their new line of menswear.

Socks-2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

“As an article of clothing, the sock is generally overlooked,” begins Yelian, “but really, if designed correctly, it can boost an entire outfit.”

Yelian and Shih believe this boost comes from socks that are fashion-forward while also stealthily eliminating odor with fabrics that are comfortable, breathable and supportive.

“We combine bacteriostatic silver ions, which suppress odorcausing bacteria, with porous carbon nanoparticles, which absorb the remaining odor. In addition we stitch our socks in a tight-knit hexagonal pattern, which creates extra padding and support.”

Related: Stepping Out – The 5 Best Spring Dress Shoes

Science jargon aside, the bottom line is that these socks (priced at $23 a pair) are built to keep feet dry and smelling fresh, even after hours of wear.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

And they look great, too, coming in ten different patterns, which include the soft-blue polka dots of the Nocturne, the light solid grey of the Wraith, the bold crimson and navy stripes of the Rugger and the rich charcoal of their signature pattern, the Redact.

“This sock is for anyone on the go,” says Yelian, “for people from literally all walks of life who want to wear clothing that is meant for living. Unlike other socks, the Stealth Sock is meant to move with you, to retain its color, fit and dryness under the most strenuous circumstances.”

Check out their Kickstarter campaign (which ends today!) and their website for more information.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Cody Gohl is a Brooklyn-based writer who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, including travel, fashion, literature, LGBT…

Fashion & Style

Why United By Blue, An Outdoor Clothing Brand, Wants Your Local Waterway’s Trash

United by Blue cleanup

As you read this, two continent-sized expanses of plastic float placidly in the Pacific Ocean. Trash moves between them on an interstate-like current, and every day 38 million more pounds make its way into the saltwater. Fisheries are nosediving, beaches look more and more like garage sales instead of postcards, and Flipper was harpooned by a Japanese whaler. And yet against this seemingly hopeless situation, United By Blue
, a Philadelphia-based outdoor clothing brand, is baling water from a figurative sinking ship with a bigger and bigger bucket while simultaneously trying to recruit others to do the same before the whole thing goes down.
Meet The Founders of United Blue

Mike Cangi, with fellow cofounder Brian Linton, uses that far-looking, aspirational rhetoric that usually precedes a sex scandal. But the company’s moves have always been hyper local when examined with a close-enough lens. Linton spent his childhood in Southeast Asia, seeing firsthand the effect of polluted oceans and trash-strewn beaches, and Cangi grew up surfing Philadelphia's nearby Jersey Shore. With their first business, which preceded UBB, the pair donated five percent of the company’s profits to ocean conservancy, which vanished like a drop of water in, well, the ocean. “It was really hard to measure, to feel like we were making a difference,” Cangi says. “We wanted to get our hands dirty, literally and figuratively, and do our own good work.”
“We are all connected by the world’s water,” says cofounder and United By Blue brand director Mike Cangi, sounding very much like an aquatic version of a yoga instructor. “Every body of water is within our scope.”
So in 2010, the pair founded United By Blue. While the company’s desired effect of ocean conservancy may have been similar to the first business's iteration, its model was radically different. Rather than writing a check and adding a blurb to its website, the company instead adopted the cause in-house, internalizing waterway cleanup and preservation by hiring the personnel themselves. Of course, volunteers have been critical to its core mission — over 13,000 have given time in 300 events across the 48 lower States — and the company also funds large-scale cleanups executed by professionals with specialized equipment in remote and sometimes dangerous locations. (To date, its collective efforts have netted more than 3.5 million pounds of trash, and it continues to pledge that for every product sold, one pound of trash will be removed from local waterways.) But UBB’s initiatives start in its Philly office by employees whose job descriptions read more like Greenpeace than green space.
How Does Trash Get Into Our Water?

Fashion & Style

Can Better Clothing Change Your Outlook On Life? UpWest Says Yes

Can better clothing enrich your life and give you a greater sense of calm and purpose? In short: Yes, yes it can. That’s what the team at UpWest thinks, and with an ethos that focuses on “comfort for mind, body, and spirit,” the brand just might be onto something.

The recently launched brand goes beyond just cozy fleece joggers, sherpa pullovers, and classic flannel shirts. UpWest also offers a full line of home essentials (including weighted blankets and CBD products) to complement a lifestyle that’s more laidback, more meaningful, and more purposeful. If ever you’ve savored a calm winter weekend, vinyl playing in the background, and a hot cup of coffee in hand, just picture that stylish aesthetic translated into a full line of gear for men and women. The company’s blog is packed with content to this effect, focused on nourishing your mind and body at the same time — and yes, the right clothing can help. If ever you’ve worn something unruly and uncomfortable, you know that the opposite is true, so why not go for comfort and style in equal measure?

Fashion & Style

Hublot’s sapphire Big Bang gets an icy new color

Hublot reveals new Big Bang in Glacier Blue

Hublot Big Bang in Glacier Blue

The newest addition to the Hublot MP-11 collection is a formidable presence, measuring a whopping 45mm in diameter and 14.4mm in thickness, so you'll need some major confidence if you want to sport this beast on your wrist. The inaugural Sapphire Big Bang was introduced in 2016 and since then the brand has delighted fans with an array of color iterations, from other sapphire colors to purple and orange. Now, Glacier Blue has been introduced, just in time to keep you cool this summer (in attitude, not temperature, unfortunately.)
Hublot: The Big Bang MP-11 in Glacier Blue

This Big Bang MP-11 features a 14-day power reserve, which is achieved through seven series-coupled barrels arranged in a horizontal configuration, and all of that can be viewed by the wearer. The truly vibrant Glacier Blue (seriously, the blue is so bright you'll feel like you're about to start seeing your breath) is made with a fresh chemical composition but still shares the same properties as sapphire: luminous, and able to withstand scratches.
Technical specifications
This Hublot watch will leave you completely mesmerized for several hours before you even think about the technical specifications, though there are some exceptional details to go over. Inside this MP-11 is the HUB9011 Manufacture manual-winding skeleton power reserve movement. As we mentioned above, there are seven series-coupled barrels, but they've been arranged in a coaxial and vertical configuration so the watch is able to maintain a super slim profile of just 10.9mm. All tied together like a bow on top is the blue transparent structured rubber strap with a titanium deployant buckle clasp.