Unofficial Yeezy Boost 350 socks, available on SockX
StockX has pivoted to become SockX, because the numbers don’t lie and the Sock Market looks to make huge gains in the next fiscal year.
Socks. Pretty straightforward. You pull them up, you take them off. Nothing sexy, right?
Wrong!
It’s this kind of thinking that has obscured the amazing history of the modern sock and the growth of the Sock Market.
Since the end of World War II, the modern sock has been at the center of several major world events. Don’t believe me?
Let’s check the record. The sock record.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989
We all know the Berlin Wall separated West Germany from East Germany, symbolizing the Cold War struggle between communism and capitalism. But did you know that socks, the sock game, and access to the Sock Market was low-key central?
East Germany and the rest of communist Europe only had access to the same pair of basic, grey tube socks. No color or style variety. The people demanded socks, and finally, the wall had to fall to fulfill their sock needs.
A crowd of East and West Germans waiting for an unfettered Sock Market, 1989
Jay-Z and Nas Hip-Hop Beef, 1996-2006
One of the longest running feuds in hip-hop history between was ultimately ended by a mutual love of socks. Nasty Nas, HOV, and their crews traded lyrical shots for almost a decade. The feud began in 1996 as the two ultra competitive MCs vied for the coveted title, “King of New York,” and would finally end in 2006 after Jay-Z recruited Nas into the Def Jam Records’ fold.
It was a little known fact at the time, but Jay-Z and Nas squashed their beef thanks to a shared passion for formal wear and the Sock Market.
Jay-Z and Nas run the rap game and the sock game, simultaneously.
Yeezy Jumps Over the Jumpman, 2014
Following a revolutionary and lucrative partnership from 2009-2014 that saw the release of the Air Yeezy 1 and 2, Kanye West left Nike to join adidas. Since then, it’s been nothing but sneaker, and sock game, magic.
Yeezy jumping for joy, and socks
After the break-up, Kanye blamed Nike for failing to fully invest in his creative vision and for not providing a larger cut of Air Yeezy royalties. But it wasn’t a lack of dollar royalties, it was sock royalties.
When the Kanye West and adidas partnership was announced, adidas Global Director of Entertainment, John Wexler, said that Nike offered Yeezus more money, but adidas provided full creative control and “all the socks Mr. West and family could ever hope to wear.”
So there you have it. From the Cold War, to hip-hop feuds, and the start of a global design partnership, socks and the Sock Market have been running things.
See you all on SockX!
