YoIt's laundry day and my sock drawer is empty. Something like. I have a pair: my emergency sports socks. I reluctantly put them on and leave the house, hiding behind bushes in case a fellow Gen Zer catches me with a bare ankle.
I'm overly self-conscious about my socks for a reason: According to a new theory espoused by TikTokkers, a person's socks can tell everything you need to know about them. He goes like this: If you wear no show socks, you're an avocado-eating millennial, and wearing them is basically a death sentence for coolness. Those who wouldn't be caught exposing their ankles in broad daylight are probably the cooler, long-sock-wearing members of Generation Z. Several videos on the Internet have gone viral about this little generational battle: Members of Generation Z, In their Teens and Twenty-somethings, they take advantage of strangers and mockingly guess their age by looking at their socks. In other clips, millennials, over 30, film themselves wearing bright white calf-length socks and joke that they are trying to keep up with the young people.
Even if we leave aside the TikTok trend, the theory could still be valid. I'm writing this in my usual attire: a pair of white socks that reach halfway to my knees. And as you can see, I find wearing ankle socks in public to be an embarrassing experience. When I talk to a millennial friend about this topic, he sheepishly pulls up his pant legs to reveal his bare ankle. People say that you can decipher details about a person just by looking at his shoes. Maybe we should have been looking at his socks the whole time?
Turns out the humble sock is having a moment in general right now. Alison Lowe, a fashion consultant who runs the MBA in Fashion Entrepreneurship at the University of East London, tells me that we are in the era of the statement sock, and that the item evolves from a last-minute sartorial idea that use for basic need. Today, Lowe says, it's “a key fashion trend.”
Even in the world of luxury fashion, socks swarm the catwalks. Gucci's new creative director, Sabato de Sarno, paired sleek black loafers with long white socks for his first menswear collection at Milan Fashion Week in January. Every model who recently walked a Miu Miu womenswear runway looked like a rugby player in thick knit knee-high socks. Luxury brands Loewe and Jacquemus have launched designer long white socks for £50 each. And on the high street, Arket's popular ribbed socks, at £9 a pair, are in high demand. “People have realized that socks can be a vital part of an outfit and not just a practical item,” adds Lowe. “And it's been driven primarily by fashion trends and social media, and the desire for personal expression.”
But why socks? The GuardianFashion writer Chloe Mac Donnell concluded in a recent article that socks have taken a starring role in women's fashion, as the unpredictable nature of British summer weather has thrown opportunities for pedicures and sandals out the window: women are looking for different ways to liven up your footwear. Meanwhile, Emma Lightbown, stylist and host of the fashion podcast. off the hanger, tells me that the emphasis on socks is part of a general shift towards comfortable dressing post-lockdown. “This is another fashion trend developed after the pandemic, when all of our wardrobes made a fundamental shift towards comfort,” she says, adding that statement socks are an “easy” and accessible way to add a twist to existing outfits. .
However, interestingly, the socks that are sent down the slopes are nothing special: they are simple and sporty. David Brazeau, merchandising director of American sock brand Gold Toe, founded 90 years ago, says Generation Z's obsession with these types of socks is part of their tendency to recycle '90s trends. “Cohorts of members of Generation Z wear clothes that many millennials wore to school, [and it’s] “It was born out of an appreciation for nostalgic fashion that was more individualistic,” he says. He traces the sports sock trend back decades, pointing to John Travolta's coordinating pink socks and black pants in Fat, or Michael Jackson's signature monochromatic loafer style. Or photographs of Diana, Princess of Wales, seen off-duty in knitted sports socks, trainers, cycling shorts and an oversized college sweater – images that regularly appear on '90s fashion nostalgia blogs. “The cyclical nature of fashion is undeniable, even in the case of socks,” adds Brazeau.
Specifically in men's fashion, socks are becoming a currency. Christopher Gove, founder and head designer of trendy Hackney-based menswear brand Percival, sells his best-selling cashmere socks in the shades “oatmelange” (off-white) and “fern green”. He tells me that the deformalization of traditional office wear, post-Covid, has influenced the popularity of socks as a fashion statement. “The casualization of the office has left a void in men's fashion where men feel they can't be too lazy for the office,” he explains. “They have to find a way to balance the formal with the relaxed.” And so: fancy ties and pocket squares have been swapped for more discreet decorative pieces like socks.
When it comes to the sports socks vs. athletic socks debate, the fashion entrepreneur (a millennial) sides with Generation Z. Gove wouldn't design or sell sports socks and tells me he prefers to create more timeless pieces. “I find ankle socks really disgusting. When I think of ankle socks, they're weird and unnecessary, to me they're like jeggings, like why are you printing a denim pattern on spandex? He laughs, pointing out the brief popularity of the jeans-legging combo in the 2010s. “At Percival, we look at the legacy of classic styles like dress socks, tube socks or sports socks.”
Gove says he has noticed his customers swapping their designer trainers for leather loafers, paired with a statement sock. He says menswear has become more geared toward “curating” a look, rather than relying on a statement jacket or designer sweater to do all the talking. “We're seeing men curating their outfits with a mix of vintage and branded style, and displaying far fewer logos than ever before,” he says.
If all types of clothing were ranked a few years ago, socks would have occupied the lowest position in the classification. But now, Gove says, fashion-conscious men are thinking about their pieces with equal importance. “It's not just an Asos sock to throw in the basket, [wearing a nice sock] “It’s an opportunity for me to express my personality, whether it’s the brand or a simple sock, it says something about you.”
If you are now the desperate owner of a large collection of sports socks, there is good news. The sock trend means that wearing socks and sandals is the ultimate expression of cool. And apparently you have Generation Z to thank for that. “The once faux pas notion of wearing socks with sandals no longer exists,” Brazeau announces. “Credit goes to those Gen Zers who opted for cushioned socks with their Birkenstocks over the past few seasons.” Trendy Birkenstocks or not, you should rock your best sock no matter what you do. And if you're determined to wear sports socks, make sure there isn't a Gen Z with a camera nearby.
