Socks have moved on from being the go-to present for your dad or grandpa to a fashion accessory adopted by stylish men from all walks of life.
Kansas City ‘sockpreneurs’ realised that men who wear a suit to work every day had little opportunity to personalise their look, especially as ties became less popular. The four co-founders had the idea in 2012 to create a men’s dress-sock firm for slightly eccentric socks.
“Men who like to dress well and are looking for ways to step up their style can wear colorful socks—it’s OK,” co-founder Jason Grill assured Kansas City news outlet This is KC. “In fact, it’s very trendy right now.”
The company – originally named Sock101, but now renamed to School of Sock – makes normal to quirky to just plain crazy socks for men and women, with the possibility of subscribing to a monthly sock delivery service.
They also sell ‘socks for a cause,’ where a portion of the sock price goes to charities such as Just Be You Austism Society or Kansas City-based The KC medicine cabinet. The company is even able to create your own custom sock if nothing takes your fancy. Or if you’re a native of the company’s home city, there is a wide variety of socks with a Kansas City twist.
The company was featured on “Project Runway: Fashion Start-up” in 2016 and landed $250,000 from prominent fashionistas Gary Wassner and Rebecca Minkoff, who were both very excited about the project.
“I love the concept of subscription socks,” Wassner told Kansas City innovation site Startland News. “Men in most professions still have limited ways of distinguishing themselves fashionwise. Socks is one of the few. Getting a new pair every month that you can wear under a nondescript suit and tie to go to work can brighten your day and make you feel quietly and subtly riskier and cooler.”
With the help of the two fashion experts, the company changed their name to School of Sock, as a way to express what they wanted to represent as a company.
“We came up with School of Sock because we want to be the place where people go to get educated on socks in general,” co-founder Kelly Yarborough told Startland News. “From how socks are made to not wearing socks with your Birkenstocks.”
Even if you think you’re a sock expert, School of Sock might still have something for you. Forbes mentioned the company and their sock subscription service as a novel and ideal way for companies to show clients that they are appreciated by sending them a stylish sock on a monthly basis.
Socks are an essential part of everybody’s wardrobe but are more likely to be placed in the category of boring essentials than quirky fashion items. No longer, as Business Insider recently released an article of the best stylish sock companies for men.
MeUndies has created stylish socks and underwear that you can even match with your partner if there just aren’t enough ways in the world to show your beloved how much you care. Gorilla socks are super-soft bamboo foot clothes, with money from each pair going to help gorilla conservation.
Bored of your threadbare, holey socks? Don’t be a laughing-sock, make the most of abundance of stylish socks and make a toe-tally cool statement at your next work meeting.