You don’t have to be in South Korea for long to understand how it’s become one of the world’s leading exporters in the knit socks and hosiery industry. There are sock sets sold at department stores, socks bundled up by rubber bands in markets and socks for unimaginable hosiery emergencies available at every convenience store. Not only is it customary to take off your shoes in homes and many restaurants and businesses in South Korea, but it can also even be considered impolite to show your bare feet in public. Even on the hottest summer day, you’d be hard-pressed to spot a Seoulite in flip-flops.

Character socks, which usually feature a well-known cartoon, figure or logo, are mainly worn by middle- and high-school students who spend long hours at private after-schools in preparation for South Korea’s rigorous College Scholastic Ability Test. To take the strain off these high-pressure study sessions, teens dress as comfortably as possible, sporting sock-exposing slip-ons instead of trainers. Since most Korean students wear mandatory school uniforms during the day, socks have also become a way for students to express their fashion identities.