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Have you ever tried to find a chic, functional ski sock? Jenni Lee, founder of luxury socks and homeware brand Comme Si (known for its luxe socks and well-tailored basics) tried, five years ago when she started going on annual ski trips with her husband. “I thought, ‘Wait, why aren’t there any beautifully designed socks that are also really functional?’” she says. (This writer has also tried, and failed, miserably.)
So came to be the first Comme Si performance sock — a ski sock — launched under the Comme Si main line as a holiday gift item two seasons ago. “It’s [for] the person who’s maybe buying a Moncler ski jacket, but then they’re having to wear a really weird, ugly ski sock,” Lee says.
Now, she’s formalising the category with Comme Si Sport. The new athletic brand follows the same ethos upon which Lee founded Comme Si in 2019: good-looking, functional socks. Lee wanted a well-made, perfectly hued sock to wear with her loafers; she couldn’t find one. So, she left her career in PR and created Comme Si. The label has gained a strong following of brand loyalists, consistently doubling business year-on-year. (Lee declined to share revenues.) Most recently, eagle-eyed brand fans spotted Comme Si’s signature tags on Dakota Johnson in Materialists.
Now, Lee is hoping to replicate this success with a new athletic spin. Comme Si Sport is launching with six core styles, for six sports that Lee views as most popular at the moment: running, Pilates, tennis, hiking, cycling, and, of course, skiing. “[We’re] applying that same lens that we have with our core socks, which is: really amazing materials, really nice design,and making sure they’re super functional,” Lee says. “And with the sports socks, they have to be technical.”
Photo: Diana Bartlett
Photo: Diana Bartlett
Initial feedback is strong, from both existing customers and those who haven’t shopped Comme Si before but are enthusiasts of a given sport. “Our core customer of Comme Si is a man or a woman who really looks for excellence and amazing design across their entire lives — their home, their wardrobe — they care about detail all the way down to their socks,” Lee says. “And they are active.” One can imagine the same woman (or man) propelling brands like Literary Sport — which has been dubbed athleisure’s answer to The Row — slipping on a pair of Comme Si socks before heading out for a jog, followed by lunch in New York’s Tribeca.
