A little over two years ago, the co-founders of Bombas appeared on “Shark Tank” and nailed down a deal with FUBU CEO Daymond John.
Since then, the two parties have collaborated to grow the Bombas business into new corners of the market — and they’ve created a special men’s dress sock that embodies both their identities. It’s literally half Bombas, half Shark.
On one side is the Bombas bee logo, and on the other, a herd of sharks. On the inner cuff is John’s personal mantra, “Power of Broke.”
The limited-edition navy-and-blue sock — which is retailing for $20 on Bombas.com — is part of the brand’s first dress sock collection. That series launched today and incorporates attributes from the label’s everyday high-performance socks but are made with superior lightweight, fine-gauge cotton.
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Bombas co-founders David Heath and Randy Goldberg said that John has been a true adviser as they work to build their philanthropically minded sock label. (Bombas has a one-for-one model and donates to shelters and nonprofits focused the homeless community.)
“Daymond has been an incredible partner,” said Goldberg. “People always wonder what happens after the show. For us what happened was we sat down and figured out how he could help us. He was genuinely interested in helping our business and learning from us. He’s a very opened-minded guy, a smart businessperson.“
He added, “People would be surprised to know how involved he is in the business and how much we lean on him as operators of the business. Because the relationship started on a TV show, people assume there’s a little Hollywood there, but it’s an honest, real experience. And it’s been a real boon for our business.“
In addition to launching the dress sock collection this fall, Bombas also has expanded its series of marled socks, introducing new fall colors such as charcoals, navys and greens. And within that line, it added its first women’s knee-high, perfect for pairing with the season’s tall boots.
Coming up this winter, the brand will release another collaboration, this time with snowboarder Hannah Teter. That collection will include a technical performance sock, available on Nov. 10 and priced $28, while a full ski and snowboard range will launch in early December for $24.
And Heath said that even more is in the works for 2017. “Every year we grow, we continue to focus on expanding our product line,” he said. “And the good thing about being digitally native is that we get a direct line to consumers and what they want. We can react quickly to that demand.”
So what can we expect? “Coming in January, we’ll be releasing grippy socks for yoga and barre,” said Heath. “And we’ll continue to expand our dress sock program with new colorways and maybe some chevron and microdots. But classic, traditional designs. We’re not going the way of wacky colors and patterns.”
“This is a timeless quality product,” added Goldberg. “We’re trying to build a solid foundation for our business and turn people on to a higher-quality product.”
