Sock It To Me (clothing company)

Last updated
Sock It To Me
Industry Apparel
Founded2004 in Portland, Oregon, United States
FounderCarrie Atkinson
Headquarters
Milwaukie, Oregon
,
United States
OwnerCarrie Atkinson
Website www.sockittome.com

Sock It To Me is a company which sells socks and other apparel. It was founded in 2004, and is based in Milwaukie, Oregon. Its motto is "Be Awesome, Wear Awesome." [1]

History

Sock It To Me was founded by Carrie Atkinson in Portland, Oregon in 2004. [2] [3] After graduating from University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a degree in marketing, Atkinson spent two years considering various career options before deciding to start her own company. [4] [5] During a year in which she had taught English in South Korea, she had been impressed by the colorful, well-made socks that her students wore, and she launched her enterprise by importing them. [4] After revisiting South Korea and bringing back two suitcases filled with 2,000 pairs of socks, she sold her first socks at the Portland Saturday Market. [4] [6] [7] She was twenty-six years old. [7] Eventually, she began designing her own styles and working with manufacturers in South Korea to create them. [4] In 2005, she visited a few trade shows and began selling the socks wholesale. [4] She saved up her money to attend the Magic trade show in Las Vegas. [7]

In 2012, Atkinson hired Michelle Walker, a former PepsiCo marketing executive, to be the CEO of Sock It To Me. [4] [8] In 2015, the company moved its headquarters from Southeast Portland to Milwaukie, Oregon, and released its first underwear line. [8] In 2018, Sock It To Me was one of the fastest-growing companies in Portland. [3] [9]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sock It To Me ran a sock drive for frontline healthcare workers and began producing reusable cloth masks. [6] [10] They hold an annual "Design a Sock" contest. [11] [12] The 2010 contest had 2,500 submissions from all over the world. [7]

References

  1. ↑ Satenstein, Liana (January 5, 2016). "Novelty Socks Are Fashion's Newest Necessity for 2016". Vogue. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. ↑ Bjorke, Christopher (September 13, 2019). "Faces of the List: Carrie Atkinson of Sock It To Me". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 Knapp, Deb (March 21, 2024). "Women's History Month: The woman behind Portland's Sock It To Me". KATU2. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mannepalli, Aswin (August 4, 2017). "How Online Sock Seller Sock It To Me Got Serious And Quadrupled Its Sales". Forbes. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Moore, Kathryn (January 16, 2012). "Lincoln native putting stock in socks". Lincoln, Nebraska: Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. 1 2 "From Socks to Reusable Face Masks: A Portland Business Pivots in the Wake of COVID-19". Willamette Week. June 16, 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Jacklet, Ben (July 20, 2011). "Carrie Atkinson was only 26 when she decided to start her own company. Now Sock It to Me is splitting at the seams". Oregon Business. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 Marum, Anna (September 30, 2015). "A Portland sock company wants to sell you bacon underwear". The Oregonian. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Crino, Tim. "These Women-Led Companies Are Some of the Fastest-Growing in Portland, Oregon". Inc. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Portland-based sock company donates 330 pairs to healthcare workers". KATU News. April 28, 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  11. ↑ House, Kelly (September 14, 2012). "Portland company Sock It to Me announces annual design-a-sock contest". Oregonian. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  12. ↑ House, Kelly (March 13, 2013). "Sock It to Me's annual sock design contest includes $1,000 prize (and free socks)". Oregonian. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
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