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In today’s fast-paced fashion world, digitalization—especially 3D-powered virtual sampling—is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s becoming the norm. Among all product categories, “socks” are uniquely well-suited to virtualization, offering a real chance to say goodbye to physical samples altogether.
In this article, we take a close look at the driving force behind the sock industry’s digital transformation: APEXFiz®, the innovative design software from Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd., and its newest specialized configuration—APEXFiz® Design-Sox, built specifically for sock designers. We’ll walk you through how this software is transforming sock design and what advantages it offers for modern production workflows. Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
- The Current State of the Sock Industry
・Market Size & Growth
・Pressure for Speed and Small-Batch Production - Why It’s Time to Digitize Sock Planning
- The Innovation of Virtual Sampling
・Create Ultra-Realistic Samples—Right on Your Screen - Without Futher Ado: APEXFiz® Design-Sox
- Smooth "Design-to-Production" Workflow through Data Linkage
- For Sock Design, APEXFiz® Design-Sox is the Answer
The Current State of the Sock Industry
Let’s start by looking at the global market conditions and key challenges facing the sock industry.
Market Size & Growth
The global sock market continues to see steady growth. According to Maximize Market Research, the industry was valued at around USD 50–55 billion in 2024.
Even better, the outlook remains strong, with a projected CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of around 6% in the coming years.
What’s fueling this expansion? Growing interest in sustainability is pushing demand for eco-friendly materials, while trends like health-conscious lifestyles and the sports boom are driving innovation—think high-performance products like smart socks. In short, the market is not just growing; it’s evolving toward greater variety and higher value.
Pressure for Speed and Small-Batch Production
At the same time, production teams are under increasing pressure to deliver faster and in smaller, more customized batches. The fashion market’s ever-changing trends demand agility like never before.
According to the 2024 Sock Production Index by USA Wire, a whopping 93% of U.S.-based manufacturers now fulfill orders within just two weeks.
But meeting such tight deadlines is tough when using traditional development flows like:
hand-drawn design → knitting data creation → physical sampling → fitting and revisions → re-sampling… and repeat.
This outdated process not only extends lead times—it also drives up costs, wastes a lot of yarn, and generates a significant environmental burden.
The growing gap between market demands and production realities may be the sock industry’s most pressing challenge today.
Why It’s Time to Digitize Sock Planning
Compared to other garments like t-shirts or outerwear, socks are made up of fewer components. This “simplicity of structure” is a major factor in making them easier to reproduce accurately in digital environments. As a result, even virtual samples can be tested with high precision—offering a level of realism that’s hard to achieve in more complex items.
At the same time, socks—despite their simple construction—often come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. This means that designers need to explore multiple variations during the planning process. The ability to review all these variations virtually, right on your screen, gives sock designers a major advantage.
This rare combination of simplicity and design variety is enabling the sock industry to move toward an ideal workflow: reviewing a 3D first sample and moving directly into mass production with minimal spec changes. By moving to virtual sampling, the industry can finally get ahead of persistent challenges like high sampling costs, long lead times, yarn waste, and environmental impact.
In short, socks are the perfect product category to embrace digitalization through virtual sampling.
The Innovation of Virtual Sampling
So, how do you actually create a virtual sample for socks? In this section, we’ll walk you through the perfect design software for the job—APEXFiz®—along with real-world examples.
Create Ultra-Realistic Samples—Right on Your Screen
APEXFiz® is design software developed, manufactured, and sold by Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd.. It allows users to create 3D virtual samples using actual yarn data. That means you can view highly realistic product visuals on your screen—so real you might mistake them for the real thing.
Ultra-realistic virtual sample created using APEXFiz®
With APEXFiz®, you can design not only garments, but also knitted accessories like socks, leggings, and beanies, as well as interior items like chairs and curtains.
To dive deeper into what virtual sampling is all about, check out this article.
Virtual Samples: The Savior of the Apparel and Fashion Industry?
Today, let's dive into the game-changing world of "virtual samples," which is key to making our industry more sustainable by cutting down on sampling time and costs.
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Want to see how the process works specifically for knitted accessories—including socks? Take a look here.
Realizing Manufacturing Without Physical Samples!
In our ongoing six-part series on solutions to promote digitalization in the fashion industry, for Part 4 we introduce design tools that are super-helpful for planning accessory items. In addition to creating patterns and efficiently designing cable and jacquard patterns, we’ll also cover how to create color variations.
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By incorporating virtual samples into the planning process, you can check fit, scale, and pattern placement from every angle—360 degrees—without the need to repeatedly make physical prototypes. This significantly reduces time, sample costs, and material waste, helping your brand achieve a more sustainable workflow.
Be sure to check out real-world examples of how design software is already being used in product planning.
Virtual Design Workflows Without Physical Samples—A Real Case Study
Decathlon, the world’s largest sporting goods company founded in northern France, has successfully reduced lead times and sampling costs by implementing SHIMA SEIKI’s design software, APEXFiz®.
View the site
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Without Futher Ado: APEXFiz® Design-Sox
While APEXFiz® has long made it possible to create incredibly realistic virtual samples, the software is available in multiple configurations. Until recently, simulating socks required either the Design-Knit software, which supports knit simulations, or the fully-featured Design Pro software—both of which needed an optional 3D add-on to enable full simulation functionality.
Design-Knit supports a wide range of knit designs, from swatch simulations to pullovers and knit accessories. Design Pro includes all the capabilities of Design-Knit, and goes further by offering features for woven fabric design and comprehensive simulation tools.
Both versions are equipped with a broad set of functions, many of which go beyond what is necessary for sock design.
Enter APEXFiz® Design-Sox, released in June, 2025.
This new sock-specific version includes only the features you need for sock design. Best of all, it comes with built-in 3D simulation as standard. It’s the perfect tool tailored specifically for the sock industry.
With Design-Sox now part of the APEXFiz® lineup, sock brands and suppliers who may have felt that Design-Knit or Design Pro were too feature-heavy for their needs, now have a streamlined option for creating virtual sock samples.
To see how the sock virtual sampling process works from start to finish, check out this guide.
Realizing Manufacturing Without Physical Samples!
In our ongoing six-part series on solutions to promote digitalization in the fashion industry, for Part 4 we introduce design tools that are super-helpful for planning accessory items. In addition to creating patterns and efficiently designing cable and jacquard patterns, we’ll also cover how to create color variations.
Related Article
And for a closer look at Design-Sox in action, don’t miss the APEXFiz® demo video.
You can view a demo video of APEXFiz® in operation. By filling out the form, a URL to the demo video will be sent to your email address.
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Related Link
Smooth "Design-to-Production" Workflow through Data Linkage
One major benefit of using APEXFiz® for virtual sample creation is how seamlessly it connects with the production process. For socks, the data can be converted into stitches, then exported as a BMP file to be used as machine data for production.
One particularly exciting development is the integration with ORION, the programming software from Italian sock machine manufacturer Lonati. In the sock industry, this combination is gaining serious attention. Data created with APEXFiz® can be imported into ORION, where programmers can examine it in 3D from a technical perspective—identifying and resolving potential production issues before they happen.
Using APEXFiz® alongside ORION allows for a more streamlined and optimized workflow from design to production. The result? Faster time-to-market and consistently high-quality sock production. This innovative workflow—born from the partnership between Shima Seiki and Lonati—is expected to revolutionize the sock industry. It opens up new business opportunities and strengthens competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market.
Want to dig deeper into how APEXFiz® and ORION work together? Download the whitepaper to learn more.
To learn more about the innovative workflow made possible through the partnership between SHIMA SEIKI and Lonati, download the whitepaper for free.
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Related Link
For Sock Design, APEXFiz® Design-Sox is the Answer
APEXFiz® Design-Sox is the perfect solution for anyone in the sock industry who wants to:
Digitize the entire sock development workflow
Eliminate the time and cost of repeated physical samples
As more and more sock manufacturers are successfully ditching physical sampling, there’s really no reason not to try Design-Sox—especially since it’s built specifically for sock planning and development.
Start by checking out the 3D simulation capabilities in the APEXFiz® demo video. Then, check the whitepaper to see exactly how integration with ORION works in practice.
You can view a demo video of APEXFiz® in operation. By filling out the form, a URL to the demo video will be sent to your email address.
View the page
Related Link
To learn more about the innovative workflow made possible through the partnership between SHIMA SEIKI and Lonati, download the whitepaper for free.
View the page
Related Link
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