Why did you start Nooan?
Nooan began with love — a very deep love between me and my younger brother. My brother is nine years younger than me. When we were living in Shanghai, he developed quite severe asthma. Western medicine can only help to a degree, so he visited a Chinese medicine doctor. One of the simplest pieces of advice the doctor gave him was to wear socks to bed.
At first it sounded almost too simple. But the explanation stayed with me. Our feet contain thousands of nerve endings and thermoreceptors. When our feet are cold, our bodies don't fully relax. When our bodies don't relax, they don't recover and repair as well as they should. At the time, we were still returning to New Zealand every Christmas. My brother discovered possum-merino socks and absolutely loved them. Every year he would ask me to bring more back.
Years later, when my husband Dan and I decided to move back to New Zealand to raise our children with the Kiwi upbringing he had enjoyed, my brother was going through an incredibly difficult period. His personal and business relationships had collapsed, and although he never said it directly, I knew he didn't want me to leave. We had always been very close. I thought the distance wouldn't matter because I could travel back often. Then COVID arrived.
During those years, we lost our beloved mother. My brother's life unravelled, his mental health deteriorated, and our relationship became strained. When he suggested starting a sock business together, I immediately said yes. Not because I had a grand business plan, but because I thought it might help us stay connected. Ironically, I used to teach brand strategy and new product development at a leading business school in China, so starting a business with no plan was completely out of character for me!
What changed my perspective was our customers. From the very beginning, people wrote to us passionately. They told us how they shared Nooan socks with loved ones overseas, how their husband slept better, how their daughter asked for her Nooan socks while recovering in ICU, and how they felt happier wearing the socks.
Let me read you a few reviews from our real customers:
'Stunning? MAGICAL? Not sure which describes them best, other than I'm anticipating my latest order today!! These are, without doubt, my favourite socks now!'
'Like a warm comforting foot hug! I am sad to take them off at the end of the day. The best socks. We have several pairs now, in all the gorgeous colours. Thank you for creating them!'
'If walking on sunshine was warm and soft, then this would be it!'
Their responses made me curious.
As I read more about warmth, recovery, and the nervous system, I began to understand that Nooan is not really about socks. It is about creating a sense of safety. Modern life keeps many of us in a constant state of stress and activation. Yet our bodies also have another system — the parasympathetic nervous system — responsible for rest, recovery, healing, and repair. What fascinated me was learning that warmth and softness can act as signals of safety to the body. And our feet are one of the most important places for those signals because they are packed with nerve endings and sensory receptors.
That was my real "aha" moment.
Suddenly, I understood why my brother loved these socks so much. I understood why customers responded so emotionally. And I realised Nooan was never really about socks. It was about helping people feel calm, safe, comforted, and restored.
Why does supporting Kenzies Gift feel so right?
When I first saw your Winter Plunge campaign, I immediately thought, "Warmth and recovery are exactly what our socks do."
But after learning more about Nic's story and the work of Kenzie’s Gift, I felt that I want to do more than a one-time donation. I love the fact that Kenzie’s Gift cares not only for those experiencing illness and hardship, but also for the people who love them. When one person suffers, an entire family carries that burden.
Your willingness to continue showing up for others, despite everything life has asked of you, is extraordinary. I honestly don't know how someone can be knocked down so many times and still remain so strong, so positive, and so generous. You remind all of us that courage and kindness are choices we can make every day.
Thank you for what you do. Thank you for allowing us to be part of it.
Be part of our mission: bring warmth and safety to Kiwi kids grieving a parent or sibling by plunging with us this winter and go in the draw to win your own pair of Nooan socks – the most luxurious way to warm up after a cold dip!
Check out the links below to find out more about Nooan, and treat yourself to a pair with the discount code KENZIE.
• https://nooan.co.nz/
• https://www.instagram.com/nooan_socks/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSDGaSbG_jA
