The man behind the "loose socks" fad among schoolgirls had enough of the phenomenon long before it died out.
Akira Tokita, 62, occasionally still spots girls in baggy white socks on the streets, but the creation that made him a celebrity fails to trigger any sentimentality. Tokita's attention is focused a little higher: skirts.
"Miniskirts have become a trend again," said Tokita, president of sock maker Browndoll Co. "It's our 'show time,' because it inevitably brings attention to legs."