Soxfords
From “Camel Toes” to “Space Invaders,” cheeky dress socks that go “Against the Stream”
Dressing for serious business often means concealing the zanier items in your wardrobe, no matter how great your Babar-themed button-down looks under a blazer. And since novelty ties are never a good idea, to expose a bit of personality when suited up, look to Soxfords‘ unconventionally-patterned dress socks. Launched two months ago, the new sock company is a project four years in the making, after financier Ryan Kent couldn’t find a high-quality pair of fish-themed socks to give to his dad on Father’s Day. Kent noticed that casual cotton socks were having all the fun and became determined to create a brand that would do the same for dress socks, serving as a “remedy for boring mainstream society.”
Each pair of the full calf socks not only has a pictorial theme, but Kent also includes a cheeky backstory on the label, which plays with the overall sentiment for each design. For example, the “Cogsworth“—a bright blue sock with cogwheels as the pattern—riffs on the classic corporate machine, and how easy it is to get caught up in a holding pattern of wake, work, eat, sleep, repeat. The boldly colored socks are a small reminder to inject a little life in the routine. The hula motif on “Kupe’e” is a nod to the vacation you’re likely dreaming about, while “Against The Stream“—the fish-themed socks that inspired it all—draw on a piece of advice Kent received from an elementary school teacher to lead the charge and “be the engine, not the caboose.”
The soft cotton and nylon socks are designed in Kent’s basement and made in the Philippines in small runs. From “Camel Toes” to “Space Invaders,” each pattern is truly a reflection of his lighthearted outlook on life, his desire to make the mundane more interesting and the “Soxology” he lists on the website, like “always cut the red wire,” “we are all geeks at heart” and “just because someone won’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t important.” We agree.
See the whole collection and pick up a pair of Soxfords online, where they sell for $20 each.
Images by Karen Day
