The year of the
Horse might just also be the year of the Cool Socks.
The last 12
months have seen an unprecedented boom in the designer sock category.
Your Dad's black dress sock is out. White tube socks … forget about
it! Comfortable and cozy socks with vibrant designs have seen a huge uptick at
retail. As we have grown to expect, sock innovator Happy Socks was very
busy at Magic. Trendsetter Stance had its usual impressive designs. FBF
Originals led the way with its impressive sports license catalogue and Sizocks
was our newcomer surprise of the pack.
We start with the originators, FBF. Founded by Sharon Rivenbank in 1984, this single mother and school teacher learned that her son Timothy had a brain tumor. Sharon bought him an antique knitting machine and her first sock shop was born. The mom and son began making socks for the Indiana University Bookstore and quickly gained popularity. Today, known as the pioneers of the "sports socks,” FBF Originals, owns licenses to all the major sports leagues, such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS. While FBF owns the rights to current players, their competitor, Stance, owns the rights to the retired players. Sounds like a fair deal for these two giant sock makers! Looking for a pair of socks to cheer on your favorite team? These two: FBF originals and Stance makes them.
Stance
is a relatively new sock brand that has emerged as one of the leaders in the
sock business. Stance believes in expression and functionality.
Their designs are strong, stylish and esthetically pleasing to the eye. Great textures and soft feel compliment their
aggressive marketing strategy, driving a strong presence in the premium
high-quality sock category.
We
were impressed with the multi colors of Magic Tradeshow high flyer Happy Socks. In the six years they have been in business,
this company, more than any other, has made designer socks a real category in
our fashion world. The story of Happy
Socks is a cool one. Two friends had a
vision: to spread happiness by turning an everyday essential into a colorful
design piece with a rigid standard of ultimate quality, craftsmanship and
creativity. Today Happy Socks are sold in more than 70 countries and on
every continent. Simply put: there's a pair of high-quality socks for
every occasion, mindset and style. Their specialty: colorful and bright socks
to lift up your spirit that's why they're called Happy Socks! After another successful showing at Magic,
they are ready to repeat as a sock category leader.
For new comer Sizocks,
this week was a coming of age party. Hip lifestyle designer Sedgewick
Neily has set out to become the Sock King. His designs are fresh,
colorful, on-trend and even exotic at times. We were impressed by his
collection of sublimated highlife socks, as they are a daring commentary on pop
culture but cleverly avoid the "me too" feel of other new comers to
the designer sock category. Mr. Neily's command of colors, fabrics,
fibers, blends and printing technology was refreshing as it was educational when
we spoke to him. Emerging from the underground design world of Los
Angeles and Atlanta, this brand is a great story about hard work, spectacular design and
new innovation. Sizocks is definitely a brand to keep our eyes on.
At
the end of the day, everyone wears socks. It's that one simple item in
your wardrobe that has now become an acceptably stylish item and necessarily
vibrant accessory. So next time you're in need for a pair of socks, try
one of these cool sock brands. Think about it, for $10-18 a pair, you're in for
a style lift! And if you're single and like to mingle (like me)? These cool
socks are great conversation starters. So, let's sock it up!
Ha Thi Kim
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