Mango on Monday. British Racing Green on Tuesday. Daffodil on Wednesday. Deep Purple on Thursday. Pink on Friday. Saffron on Saturday and White on Sunday.
Spots can be attractive and mustard, hazelnut, cannonball grey, and Earl Grey too.
Believing that what catches a lady’s eye first is a gentleman’s socks, two Scottish gentlemen formed the London Sock Company. They even managed to woo British supermodel, David Gandy, to invest his time, feet, and money in the international luxury online sock brand, which now delivers worldwide.
Says co-founder Ryan Palmer: “Our mission is to inspire everyone to walk brighter, embracing that uplifting moment, pulling our socks up each and every morning. We promise 100% sock satisfaction!
Add Dave Pickard: “We sent Mr Gandy a pair of burgundy socks at a time when we only had fifteen sample pairs made up. Then we sent him a bottle of whisky and a subscription gift card, which he activated straight away! He said he absolutely loved the brand and that he thought we were really on to something. It was kind of left at that, so we decided we needed to up the ante. So, for his birthday, we arranged for mixologist Dee Anne Quinones to invent a cocktail for him, based on his favorite drink, which we discovered was an Old Fashioned. We had the recipe printed and framed, then sent it out with some socks and a handwritten thank-you note. When we dropped it off at his agency, we were resigned to the fact that he probably wouldn’t even get to see it. The very next day, we received an email from David saying he loved the gift and suggested we go for a drink. A few weeks later, a casual drink at The Donovan Bar in London turned into a bit of a late one, and David came on board.”
Pickard and Palmer met at Accenture, an IT consultancy firm in London. Both came from entrepreneurial backgrounds. Dave started his first business at sixteen, selling drinks and snacks at a local golf course. When he was at university, doing a master’s degree in engineering, he sold disposable cameras in vending machines at nightclubs. He sold supplies for bars and restaurants in Glasgow. After his master’s degree in marketing & management, while still working at Accenture, Ryan co-founded a company helping buyers find and improve property in London.
Adds Pickard: We wanted to create a London company to provide a service or commodity of value that people need every day. We were inspired by retail alternatives and subscription box services like California’s Dollar Shave Club in California. We came across a Victorian-era book with images of dapper British gents, and in 2013, LSC was born with a Victorian dandy standing proudly beside his pennyfarthing bicycle as its logo.
“We realized that fewer men were wearing ties to the office but still wanted to add some personality to their attire. Using the most advanced knitting methods, our socks are never a novelty, they are always stylish. They help men embrace their personality and inspire them to be the best version of themselves. Socks are the first steps to effortless style.”
Every order helps London Sock Company support the London-based charity Suited & Booted, an organization that embodies the power of self-belief and the power of style to instill confidence and optimism. Their team of volunteers helps vulnerable, unemployed men confidently head to job interviews by kitting them out top-to-toe in smart new clothes. “We’ve always known the transformative potential of style on self-belief, and Suited & Booted are proof,” says Dave. London Sock Company also launched the Sock Amnesty initiative, recycling old socks for people in need.
Dress, trainer, invisible or boot, mid-calf or ankle, the majority of the cotton socks are made from a high-quality mercerised yarn. The flagship collection, Simply Sartorial, showcases Scottish lisle cotton. Also available are organic cotton, Egyptian cotton, Merino wool, linen, Lycocel, and cashmere.
With no experience in e-commerce, manufacturing, branding, or supply chain, Pickard and Palmer’s aim is to enable modern gentlemen to express themselves through stylish, colorful accessories, as “staid” and “repressed” Victorian gentlemen did. The aim was to recreate the style and elegance of that famous era, with a modern twist. London Sock Company works with independent designers like London College of Fashion student Martina Milena (Collection), Ilaria Urbinati (whose Spotlight Collection “channels vintage vibes and feel-good motifs in seasonal hues”) and Eleni Kyriacou (whose Shaken & Stirred Collection is a contemporary twist on English houndstooth) as well as celebrity stylists like Michael Fisher (The Studio Collection) and Joe Ottoway.
Says Palmer: “We wanted to make it easy for gents to express themselves through ranges of color, but not be overawed by complex patterns. People do notice socks”.
And this statement comes from a gentleman who pulled David Gandy with his.
