When Ricky Choi was growing up, he attended a school that had a strict dress code. This meant that if he and his fellow classmates wanted to get creative with their wardrobes, they would have to invest in socks.
“So naturally, that’s where we all went a little crazy,” he says. “My sock drawers were huge, containing hundreds of pairs.”
After high school, Choi, a Washington, D.C. native, headed to Philadelphia to go to The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, he worked as a financial analyst and director of social media, until he landed a job at LivingSocial. There, he met Phil Moldavski, who didn’t share Choi’s taste in the finer socks in life.
“[Phil was] wearing old, ragged gym socks with his dress shoes,” says Choi. “I convinced him to buy one pair of nicer socks and soon after, he was hooked. He went through the time-consuming and expensive process of upgrading his sock drawer, buying socks one by one. That’s when we knew there had to be a better way and Nice Laundry was born.”
In 2013, the co-founders, who base their business out of WeWork Soho West, launched a Kickstarter campaign. They ended up raising over $119k from more than 2,000 backers.
August of the same year, they opened their online store and began selling their signature Nice Laundry socks. They offer customers the option to shop for socks or sign up for a subscription. By going with the latter choice, customers receive seven pairs of socks delivered every quarter. Customers can also send in their socks to be recycled and made into new pairs.
With the help of celebrity endorsements from James Marsden, Adrian Grenier, and Kevin Hart, Moldavski and Choi are shifting the way that men view socks.
“To us, socks have always been a bit of an afterthought for most guys, and we wanted to change that by offering an easy way to overhaul your entire sock drawer with a single purchase,” says Moldavski.
While Choi prefers socks that stand out—his favorite style is the funky Vanguard—Moldavski likes the Prepster II, a more toned-down line that can be worn in formal or casual situations.
The two clearly have opposite tastes, but that’s been an advantage.
“We’ve worked side by side for over five years now, so there’s a lot of trust here,” says Choi. “Each one of us has a unique point of view, but a complementing skill set, so it’s been a fun ride so far.”
Looking forward, the two will continue to work hard and come up with innovative ideas.
“We’re constantly trying to challenge ourselves and improve the Nice Laundry experience daily,” says Moldavski. “Our ethos is all about bringing together concepts that seemingly can’t coexist. We believe that products can be both high quality yet affordable, that experiences can be elevated yet approachable, and that shopping can be plentiful yet responsible. We’ve started with socks and can’t wait to see where things take us.”
Photos: Nice Laundry