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Table of Contents About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 The Socksmith Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Our Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Our Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Cotton Novelty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Bamboo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Outlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Shout Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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About Us In 1988 Eric and Ellen Gil opened a 450 square-foot sock boutique in Santa Cruz, California, called Sockshop and Shoe Company. Their little store quickly grew to become an iconic part of downtown, and now has a footprint of over 5,000 square feet. In 2007, after almost 20 years in the sock business, Eric and Ellen used their extensive industry knowledge to create Socksmith Design: a sock company focused on fresh, fun, novelty graphics made of high-quality materials by state-of-the-art manufacturing. This combination was a missing link within the industry, and the Gils partnered with friend Cassandra Aaron to create an artisan brand with a West Coast point of view. They never imagined how much their little company would grow. After over a decade, Eric, Ellen, and Cassandra continue to lead Socksmith Design to new heights. Socksmith continues to multiply year after year, now with 36 full-time employees, 18 sales representatives in the field, a burgeoning international business, and 50,000 square feet of warehouse and office space. The team works hard to keep up with this growth, but never loses sight of the original spirit: to bring the best creative novelty designs to sock lovers everywhere, always with excellent customer service and uncompromising quality.
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NO BORING SOCKS. 6
The Socksmith Way Everyone wears socks, but have you every truly experienced them? We live by our motto: “No Boring Socks.” No boring socks means no boring meetings, no boring office spaces, and no boring errands - because it’s difficult to be bored when you’re wearing cool socks! Our hometown of Santa Cruz, California is also our original inspiration, with its prominent culture valuing creativity, independence, and community. Says company president and co-founder, Eric Gil, “Often, brands will buy their way into an industry. But we designed our way into the industry through creativity, color, style, quality, and fun.” Designed with love by in-house artists, Socksmith socks weave together top-quality designs and materials, tailored to fit every foot, lifestyle, and smile.
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Our Customers • • • •
Apparel stores, small and large Independent boutiques Gift shops: airports, museums, national parks, etc. Online fashion websites
Some of our key retail partnerships • • • •
Zappos MGM Grand Hotels, Las Vegas The Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. ModCloth
Why they buy • Fresh designs • Quality product • Value versus the market • Superior sell through at retail • Exceptional customer service Socksmith has attracted more than 3,000 accounts worldwide, selling in every state across the United States, and growing internationally. Over 800 of those accounts were opened in 2017 alone. 9
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Our Methods • • • • • •
Fresh collections twice per year Pre-season and in-season buying opportunities Warehousing in both the U.S. and Asia Long-term quality partnerships with two factories Globally-available digital assets Fast and efficient order fulfillment
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Cotton Novelty From acoustic guitars to rubber ducks, Socksmith’s Cotton Novelty Collection has a design to resonate with almost anyone. Our original and largest category, this collection is the foundation of the Socksmith style. The combo of complex knitting and intricate designs are Socksmith’s unique signature.
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Licensing Socksmith has now taken its strong graphics and state-ofthe-art manufacturing, and partnered with licensors. Current partnerships include: Coca-Cola, Corona, TapatĂo, Frida Kahlo, Rubik’s Cube, Duke Kahanamoku, Gumby, The Little Prince, and The Santa Cruz Warriors.
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Introduced in 2016, Socksmith Kids’ Collection was released with great success: we just couldn’t resist making all our fun sock designs in miniature form! The Socksmith Kids’ Collection will continue to grow, with new designs coming for years to come.
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Bamboo With our Bamboo Collection, Socksmith takes luxury footwear to the next level. Socksmith is one of the only sock companies producing graphic styles on bamboo. And, for added comfort, this luxury sock line features a seamless toe!
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Outdoor Our new Outlands Collection adds technical features to our Socksmith novelty style. With a cushioned footbed, moisturewicking cotton, and built-in arch support, Socksmith boot socks have an industry-distinct look and feel. Now you can get funky, Socksmith-style, anywhere you go!
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Shout Outs I love the quality, variety and seamless customer service. I just love the company, and I wish I could run my company this way. Aness Pogni, SOXalito, Sausalito, California
The quality of the socks is fantastic, and the fact that the designs are available in multiple colors is huge.� Christina Summers, Jim the Shoe Doctor & Got Socks, Eugene, Oregon
We took Socksmith in and the socks were an immediate success. Customers were buying up fifteen pairs at a time.� Rick Stevens, Darius! Productions, Rancho Mirage, California
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Shout Outs Your socks are awesome, I’ll be wearing these socks for a long time, and tell all the jealous onlookers where they’re from. Keep up the good work!” Lin-Manuel Miranda; Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, and Emmy Award Winning Actor and Composer
You can either buy a greeting card for $8-10, or you can buy a pair of socks someone can actually use. Socks are the perfect gift.” Ellen Gil, Owner of Socksmith Design
We live in interesting times and need interesting socks.”
Eric Gil, President and Owner of Socksmith Design
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Be in Touch Socksmith Design Inc. customer.service@socksmith.com socksmithwholesale.com socksmith.com 1(831) 426-6416