USA Today:
The founders of LittleMissMatched don’t know what happens to perfectly good socks that disappear in the wash. But the mystery of the missing socks led them into a business venture that started small and is growing fast.
Arielle Eckstut, Jason Dorf and Jonah Staw started selling packs of 3 or 7 mismatched socks in 2003 after Eckstut and Staw came up with the idea as a solution to lost socks. Each sock is different, although the colors or patterns may coordinate.
The 3 thirtysomethings are unlikely partners. Eckstut is an artsy West Coast literary agent. Staw is an intense branding and marketing guy. Dorf is a slightly conservative New York garment-industry veteran.
They clicked because their expertise complements each others’ so well and because as fast as they can come up with ideas, Staw sets a strategy and timetable to turn them into reality.
That’s helped LittleMissMatched quickly turn a cute trend in footwear into something with more legs. In just 3 years, the company’s product line has grown to include gloves and mittens (3 of course), swimwear, bedding, pajamas and - soon - books and games that tell young girls it’s OK to be a little out of step. The company motto: ‘Nothing matches but anything goes.’
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