by Liam McKenna

the SandPaper, August 12, 2015

Socks: Who came up with that? Most figure cavemen and cavewomen wore them, but basic research shows no records of the first pair. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London holds a pair from the fourth or fifth century that came out of Egypt. That’s cool. William Lee invented the stocking frame in the 16th century, making sock production soar. The point: sock history appears to have its holes — knee slapper.

Well, that’s the end of that story. It seemed to be all right, a little history article with a joke at the end. Go to the next page, which is probably a feature on undershirts.

No.

Wait.

Come back.

A few left … darn, sarcasm does not appear to translate into writing.

For readers still here, thank you.

Let’s do an overview of today’s socks. Let’s read about what could perhaps be the biggest shift in sock fashion since Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and the rest of Michigan basketball’s famous fab five founded the black sock movement of the 1990s. Yeah, consider that ESPN 30 for 30 watched. Head over to B&B Department stores, Farias or a number of other clothing shops on the Island, and there will be socks of all sorts. Paisley, plaid, polka dot, pink (the writer thinks to himself: “Get off of the P’s. Get off of the P’s.”) and … um, there are even socks with Allen Iverson on them. Socks? We talkin’ ‘bout socks?

To answer The Answer’s question: Indeed, number three’s likeness does adorn a pair of socks. Settle down, New Yorkers, Patrick Ewing is on a pair, too.

Notice that there is a lot of talk about basketball here. There’s a connection. Look to the feet of today’s youth on the Island, and there are likely to be basketball shoes covering them. Kobe Xs, J Wall 1s, Kyrie 1s, Curry Ones, Hyperdunks, LeBrons and Jordans are all tight (figuratively, not literally) kicks right now. To get these shoes, say ta ta to a tiny portrait of Ben Franklin or two.

“Stance (a sock company) just became the official on-court sock of the NBA,” said Jesse Westmacott. He works with a rep agency called Spraying Gravy with “two other maniacs.” For the last two years, Westmacott has been repping Stance — more about Stance soon.

Let’s get back to why socks matter.

With great shoes comes great responsibility to wear more than just ankle-high Gildan socks that were a Christmas gift. (Thanks, Mom.)

“The urban market and sneaker craze has definitely bumped up the demand for nicer and individually different socks,” Westmacott said.

So, walk into the side door of Farias in Ship Bottom and have your eyes get slapped in the face by pops of color such as socks by Vans, for instance. Vans sticks out because of their skater-style shoes. There’s certainly name recognition there. One could imagine that someone at Vans was like: “We make shoes. You need socks with shoes. Let’s make socks, too.”

Want to buy local? Jetty has a few pairs, too.

Yet there’s another brand. This brand has its own stand. Atop this stand, there’s a brand name: Stance. This is where those A.I. socks can be found. Stance sells one thing: socks.

No shirts? No, just socks.

No shoes? Nope, just socks.

No bow ties? Nice try, but just socks.

“Their company is on the edge,” Farias summer manager Mike Johnson said. “This particular company is really into design, creativity. Each one is different and funky and fun.”

Johnson pointed to all the cool basketball knits, but then also pointed out American flag and floral patterns. He was asked when socks got cool enough to command their own stand in the shop. Johnson sidestepped the question.

“There’s the sock man right there. Ted, how long ago did you buy your first pair of socks from us?” Johnson asked.

Sock man and Farias employee (Mister everything), Ted Siciliano replied that this sock trend caught on three years ago when he first started working at the shop.

“The craze began about two, three years ago. It began in the surf and skate shops and now has spread to other sports like basketball, running and even golf,” Westmacott said.

At Farias, Johnson said one will never see Siciliano going around in flip-flops — not happening. He won’t even do the goofy Adidas flip-flops with tube socks.

Both guys agree that sock fashion may have had its subculture earlier, but there was a distinct point in 2012 when people became willing to fork over $10 or more for socks. This quick tidal wave of interest swept up Johnson by surprise.

“The industry just exploded,” he said.

Asked to compare the sock market to another accessory, Johnson mentioned hats. But it’s a more peculiar market at the moment. He says Stance is really monopolizing socks. Sure, Vans has one side of one shelf for socks. But, again, Stance has its own stand just for socks. No other company is competing on that level, for now.

Johnson compared this to shoes and other related footwear.

“Look at sandals. Whether we’re looking at Sanuk or Reef, there’s a lot of companies doing similar things,” he said. “Not too many other companies are doing what Stance is doing. They’re really unique in their style.”

So when Stance sought its own retail space for just socks, while surprised, Johnson knew it could be done. Not much space is needed. Having nearly an entire room dedicated to footwear, Jhe could foresee a solid marriage in the making.

Siciliano saw a good business model in Stance because it wasn’t embracing only surfing, skating or basketball culture. Snowboarding, golf: He believes Stance covers all the bases. But Stance isn’t just for all types of athletes. Siciliano believes Stance has a pair of socks for any personality.

Westmacott said socks have also leaked organically into such things as music and art. As an example, Rihanna has her own limited Stance collection coming out this holiday season.

“They went for a lot of different subcultures,” Siciliano said.

“Yeah, we didn’t have to push it,” Johnson countered. “It just took off.”

Asked whether this is just a fad or if sock fashion is here to stay, Johnson said he foresees the demand continuing because of how many different cultures Stance markets to. Westmacott echoed this sentiment.

However, Johnson did add a caveat: He does see there being a peak. With that comes a downturn, but ultimately, the days of boring socks are likely over.

Even during the summer months when there could be a drop in sock sales because people want to avoid having their feet encased in a swamp-like environment, Westmacott said people still buy.

“Business by the shore is still really strong for Stance even in the summer,” he said. “Customers are able to have the sockless look without the sockless after-effects.”

And it’s unlikely that a kid buys just one pair. Johnson estimates Siciliano owns more than 20 pairs.

These socks aren’t just for the young ones, though. During the academic year, Johnson is a physical education teacher. He owns some of these socks not to look cool in front of his students, but because they’re comfortable.

“I’ll wear them when my feet hurt, and I’ll feel better. They’re just a little bit thicker,” Johnson said. “They breathe real well, too, so you’re not getting that sweaty foot thing.”

Johnson owns a pair of tie-die stars and stripes. So they pop. Johnson said he felt a tad uncomfortable wearing them at first. He asked himself: “Am I too old for this?” The kids, however, embraced the choice.

“It’s fun,” Johnson said. “It’s fun as a sock can be.”