Company profile
- Company name
- KNITIDO Co.
- Address
- 68-1 Maruda, Shimotsu-cho, Kainan-shi,
Wakayama 649-0121, Japan - Foundation
- September 1926
- Registration as
a corporation - February 1981
- Capital
- 98,000,000Yen (ca. 700,000,00 Euro)
- Employees
- 60
- Business details
- manufacture and sales of 5 toe socks
and diverse knitgoods - Management
- Chairman of the Board - Takahiro Idobata
President - Yasuhiro Idobata
History
- Sep. 1926
- Foundation of “IDOBATA Hand gloves factory”
- Feb. 1981
- Registration as“Knit Glove Co.”
- Jan. 1990
- Induction of main production line
- Apr. 1998
- Expansion of production line
- Mar. 2000
- Foundation of associated company “Lasante Co.”as direct distributor in Tokyo
- Apr. 2001
- Induction of the second production line in Arita, Wakayama
- Jan. 2004
- Foundation of a product facility as a joint venture company, “HAINING XINGYUAN KNITTING CO., LTD.” in Zhejiang, China
- Mar. 2006
- Establishment of a product facility as a joint venture company “KNITTING FACTORY VIKNITCO” in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Apr. 2006
- Renaming from “Knit Glove Co.” to “KNITIDO Co.”
- Jun. 2006
- Opening of sales agency in Osaka
Function & Health
Function & Health
"We want people to discover the lightness and naturalness of their own body in order to help them to be or become healthy." Basing on this idea we began to produce 5-Toe-Socks. At first, it was just a simple product with toes, but the quality has always been improved and the toe-socks became more comfortable and found its way into our everyday life. In contingency with our premise we went on developing and therefore were able to create a whole lot of outstanding products. Besides standard cotton toe socks we are offering you a variety of materials like silk, several kind of blended fabric as well as function materials. Whereas in the beginning we especially highlighted the health aspects of toe socks there are now business socks, sports socks and children socks in various designs available. The first three dimensional toe socks worldwide make toe socks even easier to wear and one still has this very comfortable feeling between the toes. We have several granted patents for this development. In our further development we will continue to strive for the harmony of function and health.
The Story of Toe socks
born in Spain and grown up in Japan
- 1970
- Originally toe socks were manufactured in Spain. The basic concept was: “it is good for health to move the toes.” Shortly after that toe socks disappeared from the market for some time, because the production concept had deficits in terms of insufficient adaptation to the diversity of toes and only synthetic fiber was used for manufacturing.
- 1974
- Takahiro Idobata, who was director of Otafuku-Glove Co. at that time, now president of Knitido Co., devoted himself for the development of toe socks standards more than 3 years. The toe socks were developed then just as we buy them today.
- 1975
- The first toe socks were sold as being useful for solving problems of sweaty feet and athlete’s foot problems. The socks were sized universally without heel, made of cotton. The beginning was difficult, because people thought it was bizarre, but the function of these socks became acknowledged quite rapidly especially in the field of workwear.
- 1981
- Takahiro Idobata founded the Knit-Glove Co. (now Knitido Co.), to create a market of high-quality toe socks. As a pioneer he put the headstone for spreading of toe socks.
- 1989
- A medical publication emphasized that wearing a pair of traditional socks over toe socks made of silk prevents the feet from cooling. With this publication a new market was opened.
A first boom in Japan started 3 years later.
Subsequently further market expansion was achieved by Knitido Co. through the manufacturing of toe socks with heels. - 1995
- The effect that we get a better feeling of swayable toes in our shoes and better stability when wearing toe socks has been approved. People started using toe socks especially in various fields of sports, i.e. athletics, baseball, volleyball, speed skating, and so on.
Knitido Co. started export to the European health market, and registered as an own brand, “Dr. Foot” - 1997
- The trendy character came to the fore. (The percentage of women among the users increased considerably.) The market share of toe socks within overall socks sales was about 2%.
- 1998
- Knitido Co. brought “3D toe socks” to the market, which are protected by 4 patents. These socks are manufactured completely seamless and representing a world innovation, the form of socks is adjusted in 3 dimensions to the footform.
In result it became easier to wear toe socks, fashionable patterns were offered and good success was at last achieved on the market as a new item. - 1999
- Diverse TV programs, in which toe socks were introduced as a topic, contributed to the market enlargement.
Basically the following healthful features were emphasized.- A stable stand, because all 5 toes have good contact to the ground; it is extremely suitable for hard work and also for sports.
- Because each toe is surrounded separately by the socks, it keeps the warmth better and toes can move independently. It is good for preventing cold feet.
- When single toes move, it not only supports blood circulation inside the toes, but within the whole body.
- Improvement of the posture through better stability and thus decreased shoulder tension.
- Between second and third toe there is an acupuncture spot, thus the stomach could be influenced positively by wearing toe socks.
- 2003
- Using simple manufacture methods (a combination of plain and round knitting machine) competitors started to congest the market with various designs, but most of these socks were of poor quality.
- 2005
- On a TV program with a topic “the secret of 5 toe socks’ success story”, the following effects were mentioned.
- popular among young people, because it is comfortable to walk on them.
- showing toe socks via professional sportsmen in baseball, golf, and marathon
- easing of cold feet problem
- proved prevention of odor
- 2006
- Renaming of the company from Knit Glove Co. to Knitido Co.
Health effects with toe socks
Counter measure against hallux valgus or flatfoot
Hallux valgus or flatfoot is caused by a minimization of toe function or decrease of muscle. With toe socks a better balance and the freedom of toe movement can be regained. The right gait will be supported and weakened feet and toes will be trained, or possible foot problems will be avoided.
Easing lumbar- , knee-, neck- and shoulder pain
While walking the toes, the plantar arch and the heel absorb the shock, which is exerted on knee or lumbar, like a cushion. If the balance of the toes is not good, the gait will also be unstable and if this state continues, the body weight will cause pain in knee or lumbar. By wearing toe socks the load will be distributed consistently and a good posture will be supported.
Excessive sensitivity to coldness
Unnecessary heavy load is almost constantly exerted on the feet and therefore the muscle is hardened significantly. Sometimes this causes blood congestion or swelling of the muscle. Additionally the sole of foot will be hardened and thus the tiptoe becomes cold. This is the reason of exessive sensitivity to coldness. Every toe will be covered individually with toe socks and therefore the toes will gain freedom of movement. Through this stimulation the blood flow will be better and the sensitivity to coldness will be decreased. The double socks solution, the combination of silk toe socks covered with normal cotton socks is the most effective measure against coldness.
Prevention of sprain and balance problems
Freedom of movement will be optimized with toe socks and the load will be distributed equally on every toe. Therefore one gets a better feeling of getting hold of the ground. The balance of toes will be improved and the gait posture will be corrected. Risks like sprain or balance problems especially among elder people will be reduced and a healthy gait will be supported.
How to wear toe socks
To touch and to move all toes in the morning is the first step toward a healthy day.
Let your toes enjoy special care.
wear big toe first
wear second toe
wear fifth toe
wear third and forth toe
straighten wrinkles if any
Test result of foot pressure allocation
through foot scan
- Toe socks
- Equal using of all five toes. Especially if the fourth and fifth toes are loaded in the right way, the gait becomes better and stable. One can also recognize that the balance point line of foot strain passes through from the heel to the front between the first and second toe. Accordingly the equal distribution of foot load becomes apparent.
The result: Toe socks are effective for shock absorption and a stable gait. - Barefoot
- The pressure is distributed only on the thumb and the heel. Every second phalanx from the second to the fifth toe does not have any contact to the ground.
- Traditional socks
- The toes are squeezed closely, they are not loaded in the right way. Every second phalanx from the second to the fifth toe does not have any contact to the ground.
The foot seems to be small in comparison with toe socks or barefoot. - Stocking
- To prevent the sole of foot from slipping, an extreme pressure is exerted on the first toe. The balance line also does not end between the first and second toe but stops below the first toe. The tiptoe seems to be small. As a result, one can recognize the big load on one point.
-The surface of the foot sole amounts to just 1 % of the whole body surface-
This small foot surface has to support the whole body, therefore the best for feet is to wear
shoes suited to your foot form and the best socks to wear are “five toe socks”.
〒649-0121
和歌山県海南市下津町丸田68-1
TEL 073-492-0077 FAX 073-492-4192
〒541-0053
大阪市中央区本町1丁目-1番-3号 本町橋西ビル10F
TEL 06-6125-1822 FAX 06-6125-1833