Something's Afoot as America Returns to the Office: A Renaissance in Men's Socks

Two years ago, Nadav Regev was a real estate executive with a home in Israel and a business in America. Almost monthly, he found himself flying from Tel Aviv to Miami, then back again. As the economic hub of Israel, Tel Aviv is hardly lacking for stores to shop in. But one thing the city’s vast array of retail emporia didn’t seem to be selling was the kind of colorful socks that Regev enjoyed buying in Miami. He’d taken a particular shine to ones featuring tropical motifs like pineapples and avocados. And the moment his friends noticed Regev’s distinctive socks, the requests began. “Every time I came in, my friends wanted something from America [for me] to bring back,” Regev remembers, “and socks were one of the things they asked for.” Here’s How the Pandemic Has Validated Bombas’ Eccentric Approach to Socks So Regev began buying socks for his friends, tucking pairs into his luggage for the flights home. But it was only after the Miami-sourced hosiery became the center of conversation at one of Regev’s dinner parties that he decided maybe it was time to get into the sock business himself. Today, Regev runs Cicada, a direct-to-consumer brand whose socks come in hues including turquoise, pink and orange, decorated with a repeating pattern that’s designed to raise awareness of various social and environmental issues. There’s an Ocean Waste Collection featuring turtles and plastic straws, for example, and Poaching Collection that shows endangered species like rhinos and snow leopards. “After working remote for so long,” says Cicada founder Nadav Regev, “people want to express themselves." Important as these causes are to Regev and his customers, he’d probably sell very few pairs of his $14 socks if his designs were not vibrant and showy, yet restrained enough for professional settings. And as America—slowly, sporadically—returns to spending time at the office, socks like the ones Regev makes are increasingly in demand. “After working remote for so long,” he says, “I feel like people want to express themselves. You can really just wear basic business casual clothes and then give that twist of your personality with the socks. It's not just going to become a trend. I think it's already a trend.” A Sartorial Resurgence Regev’s experiences mirror what many sock brands are experiencing right now. In the wake of a lean period during the pandemic’s first 18 months, an improbable interest in men’s socks is suddenly afoot. But not just any socks. In increasing numbers, men—which is often to say: the women who buy clothes for their husbands and boyfriends—are taking an interest in socks with surprisingly bold colors and distinctive patterns. These are not the same as novelty socks, the deliberately loud and outrageous accessories that might amuse your friends at a party but aren’t what the vice president of sales would wear to close an important deal. We’re talking about jazzy, professional stockings that pop with jeans or even suits, elevating an outfit by adding a bit of panache. At the U.K.-based London Sock Co., for example, co-founder Ryan Palmer reports that one of his bestsellers is East India Saffron, an $18 dress sock knit from Scottish Lisle cotton whose bright mustard color could find a home in at any Istanbul spice bazaar. London Sock Co. is doing a brisk trade in colors like saffron (top center.) “If we ask 20 people to pick their favorite color, we’d probably get close to 20 different answers,” Palmer says. “But when we extrapolate our data in terms of the volume of orders, our East India Saffron is continuously top selling.” The fact pleases Palmer for reasons that go beyond revenue. Prior to starting his company, he himself was a London office denizen, and he still remembers the drab, undulating masses of businessmen trudging in and out of glass towers every day. “The city had become a sea of monochrome,” Palmer recalls. “Everyone was wearing the same color shirts, the same color shoes.” London Sock’s wares, he says now, constitute one of “few opportunities for guys to add a bit of individuality, a bit of personality… a way to elevate your style.” Flags and Dinosaurs At Boardroom Socks, a family-owned firm that makes all its stockings in North Carolina, CEO Nathan James reports that his sales leader is the $16.96 American Flag sock, a navy-blue dress sock in merino wool, decorated with tiny U.S. flags. A close second are solid reds and purples. “Red has been really busy for us this year—much busier than historically,” says James. The American flag sock is now Boardroom's bestseller, followed by red and purple. Santa Cruz-based Merge4 socks takes its sartorial style bit further, often collaborating with artists on its designs. These range from Maia Negre’s abstract floral motifs to the pastel-colored dinosaurs drawn by Colby Phillips. (A pair averages $20.) While most of these styles wouldn’t work for, say, a Wall Street attorney, they appear to be working for other professionals. “My husband works at a tech company,” relates Merge4’s digital marketing manager Haley Turner. “It’s a very casual dress code, and he wears Merge4 socks every day. Even if [a workplace] has a casual dress code, there’s still that air of professionalism that you have [to maintain]. You can’t wear a totally crazy outfit to work.” Turner’s spouse can’t be alone: Coming out of the pandemic period, Merge4 has “actually had our biggest quarter—Q2,” Turner reports. “Sales are great right now.” Guest artist Colby Phillips designed this popular dinosaur motif for newcomer brand Merge4. “Men’s socks have been performing well so far in 2021, with dollars up 21% compared to 2019,” adds NPD apparel analyst Kristen Classi-Zummo. “I think there can be more opportunity here as consumers step back into the office, or even continue to work from home. As we are dressing more casual, socks can be seen as a finishing touch that can bring together an outfit.” The Rumored Return to the Office That observation encompasses more than it might suggest. One force looming above the interest in swank socks—and might well be driving it—is the much-ballyhooed return to the office. For the first few months of this year, corporate America was abuzz with plans for getting the rank and file back into their cubicles. Then, in July, the Delta variant (which quickly became Covid-19’s predominant strain) took a hammer to those plans. High-visibility corporations including Apple and Google opted to kick the can down the road in favor vague references to a fall return. Other companies (notably Facebook) are now looking ahead to early 2022. However, millions of office workers have already gone back to their commutes. According to a recent survey from the commercial real-estate services giant Cushman & Wakefield, 35% of workers had returned to the office by late July. In some cities (notably those in low-regulation states like Texas), office occupancy is as high as 40%. Whatever the date that white-collar employees head back to their work stations en masse, however, this much is certain: They will be different people than the ones sent home last year. Corporate Casual Chills Out Further For the last 18 months, most of us working from home have relished in dressing for comfort over appearance—and some of us have gotten very comfortable. For instance, according to a 2020 survey by the Society for Human Resources Management, no fewer than 60% of professionals admitted to wearing sweatpants as they worked from home. But as the society’s CEO Johnny C. Taylor wrote in USA Today last year, while most workplaces are unlikely to sanction their rank and file strolling the corporate carpets in T-shirts and yoga pants, there is likely to be a further loosening of the (already pretty loose) definition of corporate casual. And that’s especially good news for the makers of statement socks. “Even before the pandemic, playful socks were a sort of cheeky way [for men] to inject some personality into otherwise mundane office dress codes,” observes Noah Zagor, senior menswear strategist for consumer trends forecaster WGSN. “If you were the type of guy who used socks or other affectations as a way to add personality and confidence to looks, then there is a good chance that you'll double down and really lean into the playful opportunities that socks provide.” Another way of putting this: Socks are a low-cost, low-risk, easy way to look dressy without the hassles of actually dressing up. And in a post-pandemic world, they might well be the only wardrobe item in existence that lets men be both stylish and comfortable at the same time. Known mostly for their low-cut style, Bombas socks also come in jaunty styles suitable for the office. “The nice thing about a pair of socks is that it’s not the loudest statement you can make—it’s a sneaky way to take a risk and do something bold,” said Randy Goldberg, co-founder of Bombas, a brand best known for donating a pair of socks to homeless shelters for every pair sold, but whose lineup includes an ever-changing array of colors and patterns suited to the stylish dresser. (A four-pair set of dress socks runs $65.) “Coming out of sweatpant land and back into casual,” Goldberg says, “is going to be very interesting. And I do think that… a pair of socks can be a little bit of a statement.” “Most of us have been kind of lounging around [and wearing] loungewear for such a long time,” adds Palmer. “Having that opportunity to 'dress up' is something that people are, in a way, kind of excited to do.” At the Office or Home, Bonobos Bets on ‘Back to Business’ Style