Many cultural trends and icons never go away completely. They may take a hiatus lasting a decade, generation, or century, but ultimately, popular items and movements come back into vogue.

For example, sales of vinyl records have increased in recent years long after they were seemingly replaced by CDs, digital music files, and streaming services.

The same phenomenon happens quite often in apparel. Fashions beloved by one generation and rejected by another often find a place in the present culture.

Take socks, for instance. It’s easy to assume that the recent popularity of brightly colored dress socks is unprecedented. But there exists historic precedence for people expressing style and status with their socks. You just have to go back much further in history than, say, the 1960s to find a time when this was the case.

According to some historical accounts, socks became a symbol of wealth by around A.D. 1000, while others suggest this trend actually began somewhere in the early first century. While the working class covered their feet in animal skins and basic cloth, the elite wore colored cloth around their legs, secured by garters.

In the 15th century, socks became decorative with the first printed socks. Elizabeth I is said to have worn custom knit socks (or stockings) of many colors, including carnation pink. Different sock lengths were introduced and worn to match certain attire. During this time period, men were known to wear striped socks as a way to express individuality.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spanish influence enveloped all of Europe. Spanish cloth of that time consisted of beautiful fabrics adorned with embroidery and fine jewels.

The beginning of the end — at least until now — for decorative socks can likely be traced to the invention of the circular knitting frame in the early 1900s. This development led to the mass production of socks. Although argyles were popular in the 1920s, it wasn’t long afterward that basic colored socks, and later plain white socks, became the standard foot covering for men.

Today, custom printed socks have helped transform the sock business into a $5.6 billion industry. Custom dress socks in a wide array of colors have become a way for men to express their individuality, while other custom made socks have become a favorite promotional product.

About the author

EVERSOX is a worldwide supplier of custom branded socks for businesses, retailers, and promotional products distributors — with over 10,000 designs manufactured & 100 major brands served since 2010.