Three years ago, siblings Dan and Sammy Cohen arrived at an independent realization: There was a hole in the lifestyle sock market. And they were just the people to patch it.
True, they are very close. ("We have an older brother as well. The three of us are best friends," Dan told me.) But at the time, Sammy was working for a retail consulting firm and Dan a sports apparel company. They had the professional backgrounds to market and sell a startup; they just needed the right product.
"We are well aware that fun socks exist, but we think they exist in silos," Dan said. I met him and Sammy over coffee a couple weeks back. "Athletic socks can be loud, but are designed for athletic performance. Dress socks can have funky patterns, but aren’t designed to be worn with shorts. And a straight lifestyle sock can blend design and comfort, but lack a defined purpose."
For Neon Bandits, which just officially launched, the target segment is action lifestyle – think high tube socks that aren't boring or performance driven, whether you're golfing with coworkers, brunching with friends or just walking around town. They come in three styles: The Ozz (named after the recently departed and dearly beloved family dog, Ozzi); The Dawson (after the street they grew up on); and The Flip (after Sammy's childhood tadpole, Flippy, which lived for 15 years.)
"When you are rocking Neon Bandits, you never need to worry about being labeled as plain or boring, or having your sock slip down your leg," Dan said.
(They gave me a pair to try for myself, which I decided to take for a run to test the non-slip promise. They stayed put. And turned a lot of heads.)
The target demographic is unabashedly bro-centric, the 18-to-28-year-old guy who gravitates toward clothing that's both comfortable and distinct. An apt comparison would be Chubbies, the thigh-baring shorts that have developed a cult – and very socially active – following.
After landing on a Chinese factory where other major socks brands are produced, the duo knew they had the quality they'd wanted. Now they needed a catchy campaign to grab the attention of the masses.
"We knew that if we were going to make a splash in the space we needed to be loud, unconventional, disruptive, witty, shareable, and most importantly fit in line with the brand that we are trying to build," Dan said.
The result: Grab a Pair, a campaign that plays with the fun double-entendre of regular-looking people wearing nothing but a pair of Neon Bandits and underwear, grabbing their, well ... you get it.
Right now, the siblings are laser-locked on making socks. A second line is already in the works, which will have different patterns and colorways. All of them, though, will deliver on the promise of empowering bros to stand out without sacrificing function.
"Dudes look goofy when they wear dingy white tubes with shorts," Dan said, "and shouldn't be caught dead wearing dress socks with a lifestyle sneaker."
