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Ath-Leisure Socks Drive Sales
by KARYN MONGET
A combination of fashion, color and a variety of styles aimed at different lifestyles and activities have been beefing up the sock business over the past year.
The proof is in the numbers: Dollar sales of men's socks grew 12.3 percent to $2.29 billion in the 12 months ended in March, reported The NPD Group Inc./Consumer Tracking Service.Mack Weldon
Behind the robust rise in business is a boom in bright colors and bold patterns in socks, driven by designers such as Paul Smith, Richard James and Etro. There also is an emerging consumer trend of men wearing the same style of classic, yet trendy-looking socks with suits, casualwear and even active apparel. This new breed of medium-, or bridge-weight, sock is rendered in combed and heathered yarns for comfort and easy wear, and features a touch of fashion in a palette of solid colors, strategically placed fashion shades at the heel or toe, or in a burst of colorful patterns and prints.
The popular classification is described as "athletic-leisure" by industry executives, who say more men are buying socks for themselves because they now consider socks a key fashion accessory. According to NPD, 55 percent of men bought socks for themselves in the past 12 months, compared to around 50 percent the prior year.
Given the booming market, a number of sock and legwear specialists are setting their sights on new assortments of crossover styles that combine the dress, casual and active classifications into a multipurpose lifestyle sock.PumaFalke
Jordan Lipson, president and chief executive officer of American Essentials Inc., whose sock licenses include Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Chaps, Reebok, and Izod, said the crossover trend began surfacing after the recession.
"In the last three to five years, we've seen a change in consumer purchasing trends, and we're seeing more men buying socks, a category that women have traditionally purchased. American men are expressing themselves through socks, and they are saying 'I wear suits, khakis and jeans, so let me decide how to accessorize my wardrobe.' It's not just about the main fashion centers like New York, Los Angeles and Miami -- it's happening in mainstream America," said Lipson.
Lipson singled out a best-selling terry sock style with a...