Our business
Live Your Colour delivers B2B and B2C experiences in the U.S. market.
Overview
Live Your Colour cherishes Japan's high standards for craftsmanship and the need for durable and innovative products. With our simple designs, we're able to maintain a consistent high volume of sales. Staying true to our roots and to our community, our company was also able to respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic by producing thousands of sustainable face masks.
Our history
We started as a humble Japanese sock company with a big vision.
Our business began in 2002, when Maarlie Wada started selling American apparel to Japan. Then in 2004, she established Live Your Colour, Inc. and founded Tabbisocks soon after in 2006, where this time, she started selling socks from Nara, Japan to America.
That’s when she started stitching a bridge between Japan and the USA. By collaborating with Japanese craftsmen and factories from Nara, Japan, we created the Tabbisocks brand to deliver high quality socks and introduce them to America. Our socks weave ancient techniques that have been passed down from generations with modern and unique designs that resonate with the global market.
Though we started as a sock company, we are expanding our business to offer a variety of high quality Japanese merchandise and to also commit to more sustainable projects. That’s why we started The Sock Nation Project, which funds local community projects and environmental efforts so that we can give back to both the planet and the people that live on it.
The COVID-19 pandemic was also a huge reason why we expanded our business to start producing our own face masks and selling other Japanese products. In April 2020, we started selling reusable face masks made with organic cotton with more than 30 colors to choose from. We were able to produce them with a zero waste production process, and have sold 200,000 masks to date — and counting. We’re still selling a huge number of masks as the pandemic continues.
We’re also not just selling socks anymore. In September 2020, we expanded our portfolio by starting KimonoZen, which sells vintage kimono and unique clothing, and Nara Tea Co., which offers authentic Japanese tea ceremony tools at affordable prices.
Now we’re a colorful patchwork of brands with one mission.
1500SKU
products in the US market
2500+
business partner in the US
20 years
in the US marketplace
The LYC team
Mari Maarlie Kawamura
Founder and CEO
Maarlie’s primary interest throughout her career has been socks. There are many different types of socks in Japan: tabi socks, toe socks, tights, over-the-knee socks, knee-high socks — the list goes on. When she noticed there wasn’t an extensive selection of socks here in the U.S, she started selling a variety of socks that accommodated many different lifestyles.
Instead of selling cheap socks, Maarlie focused on selling high quality socks that were carefully created by craftsmen in Nara, Japan. Her experience and her decision to choose a specific niche in the market has led to her success.
Over the years, Maarlie has steadily increased the company’s sales by expanding not only her products, but also her connections to the environment and her local communities. Even though she started with a small sock business, she strives to create a company that flourishes for the next decade and beyond.
Team LYC
We’re a one-of-a-kind crew that stays true to ourselves! Our team is committed to providing the best customer experience possible. We love the products we sell not only for their quality, but also for so many reasons: the story behind each piece, how carefully selected they were from a sea of others, how they were crafted, what materials they were made of, and the overflowing passion each craftsman puts into their work.
We are all very proud to share our products with our customers, and we’re also committed to the company’s mission to help the environment and our local community.