Chicago activewear startup Powwful has surpassed its Kickstarter goal for its latest product: power socks.
The startup, launched in 2016 by Lotika Pai and Wen Yao, started out making full coverage sports bras fashioned after Chicago architecture, and has since expanded to making tanks and long sleeve shirts.
Now, their new compression socks have raised $15,575 in a Kickstarter campaign, surpassing its goal of $15,000.
The socks are made of micro-nylon yarns and spandex, and are designed to combat achy, swollen legs and feet that can lead to spider and varicose veins. The knee-high compression socks help encourage healthy blood flow from the legs back to the heart. Besides their health benefits, the founders also made the socks very expressive.
The socks come in nine colorful designs, decorated with progressive and feminist phrases. They have titles ranging from “We Are All Human,” which is designed to represent LBGTQ rights, to “No Fear Just Power,” which promotes a woman’s right to feel safe in more vulnerable situations, like when traveling alone.
“We wanted our designs to convey how we feel and think as a small women-owned and women-run company,” the founders wrote on the Kickstarter page. “We used the socks as a canvas to express our views with frankness and honesty.”
Powwful’s merchandise, which is designed in Chicago and manufactured in China, can be purchased directly from the startup’s website. However, they can also be found in specialty retailers like Fleet Feet Sports and other boutique studios. Powwful expects to ship out the first orders of the compression socks by the end of June.
