Case Study: How boldSOCKS Uses BeFunky to Create Custom Socks For a Cause
Michigan-based sock brand boldSOCKS truly lives up to their namesake of creating one-of-a-kind, standout socks. While they set out eight years ago with the goal of creating a retail store with the boldest socks from the boldest sock brands they could find, their business quickly evolved once the sock market became oversaturated with cheaply made designs. They launched their own brand in 2014, Statement Sockwear, to combat the competition with custom designs that are ethically made and sold with a cause.
“We hope to be a great resource for people looking for great socks whether that be for a wedding, a gift for dad or for a trade show. We have all the customization options one could want in a sock store and are always excited to share that with the world,” said Ryan Roff, CEO and creative director at boldSOCKS.
Named one of Michigan's top 50 companies to watch in 2018, boldSOCKS takes full advantage of the creative plethora of options that come from custom socks, and they do it all with a deeper mission than sock sales. Their initial goal of launching their own brand was to provide 100 days of clean water with every purchase. Statement Sockwear has grown significantly and now represents more than 75% of the products sold on boldSOCKS.com. Today, they have already created over 300 sock designs and provided 50 million days of clean water to people in need, their mission reaching about 50,000 people and growing every month.
The reason they chose clean water as an initiative?
“We longed for something more sustainable. Something that could multiply. Something that could grow economies versus shrinking them. After a fair amount of investigation, we landed on clean water. On average, clean water provides a seven-fold return on investment. Dirty water continues to be one of the greatest crises of our time and while statistics are getting better, people still lack basic access to clean water. We now provide 100 days of clean water for every purchase of Statement Sockwear through our partnership with 20 Liters that provides community and household water filtration solutions”
To create sock designs for their signature brand, boldSOCKS has found BeFunky’s Photo Editor to be essential. They start by uploading a photo, then use the Cutout tool to cut out different elements from that photo, usually a face. Next, they use the Cartoonizer DLX to turn it into a cartoonized graphic with a transparent background. After arranging these custom graphics onto their own pre-sized sock templates, they're able to print the designs on a wearable canvas (a pair of socks!).
“We use BeFunky to customize the socks for every order. With the Cutout tool, we are able to quickly remove the background from every photo, adjust the lighting and contrast, and if the design calls for it, we cartoonize many of the faces to match our sock templates. The Cartoonizer DLX is worth the premium subscription.”
As Ryan Roff and his team continue to expand their creative direction, they have been able to properly utilize BeFunky for their marketing materials, many of which have been incredibly beneficial to a growing business. This looks like using the Background Remover to edit the background of their product mannequin shots and create graphics for email marketing, social media posts, and website collages.
“We have just scratched the surface of the potential of BeFunky. It is a quick, easy tool that anyone could use to make high quality graphics, even without a background in graphic design.”
Not every business gets to chase after their passions or ideas, but boldSOCKS continues to find the perfect balancing point between creativity and contributing to a cause that’s important to them. While globalization has reshaped much of commerce, boldSOCKS is committed to valuing people over profits and creating high quality, ethically made socks that are well worth the investment.
“We believe it is our role as advertisers and marketers of our products to stand with integrity and offer transparency about the products we sell. For businesses to properly support organizations, it needs to be authentic and it needs to be sustainable. We never want social responsibility to be a trend so we need to adequately support our message with thoughtful storytelling, adequate vetting, and accessible information. boldSOCKS.com continues to change as Statement Sockwear grows and it is our goal, over the next few years, to be the best curator of socially or environmentally focused socks.”
If you're inspired to make a difference with your creativity, start creating with BeFunky's Photo Editor, click the link below:
