Socksmith Design is dipping its toe into a new market.
The Santa Cruz, Calif.-based sockmaker has announced the launch of its first children’s collection, arriving next month. The offering includes both takedowns of popular adult designs and kid-specific styles.
Eric Gil, Socksmith’s founder, said the launch is a natural evolution for the brand: “Our customers have been asking for kids’ socks for years, and we feel this collection is a great addition to what Socksmith is all about.”
Gil started the company in 2008 together with his wife, Ellen Gil. Prior to that, the couple spent 20 years running a legwear boutique before taking the plunge and launching their own line.
Since then, Socksmith has shaken up the staid stock market with its colorful graphics and whimsical designs. In addition to classic stripes and argyles, the brand offers playful, artsy prints in a wide variety of novelty themes, including food, animals, holidays and historical figures. Also featured are warm, fuzzy socks and styles made with bamboo fibers, considered to be more environmentally friendly, as well as durable and naturally antibacterial.
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Highlights of the new kids’ collection include themes such as “Mac and Cheese,” “Cookies and Milk,” “Einstein,” “Candy Shop” and “Fast Food.” There are also designs featuring the retro characters Gumby and Pokey.
The socks will be sold as both single pairs (priced at $5.50) and packs of three pairs ($14), with sizes ranging from ages 2 to 12 years. Socksmith also will offer three-packs of baby socks ($12), in sizes 6 months to 24 months.
The collection is slated to launch on the brand’s e-commerce site, Socksmith.com, on Feb. 15. Retailers can place preorders on the company’s business-to-business site, Socksmithwholesale.com.
