California Apparel News

For Dan Soha, socks are not just an accessory, they are a statement piece that brings comfort and style together.

Soha went on a sock pilgrimage in 2011 looking for the perfect argyle. To his dismay, all he found were mass-produced socks with poor quality and mundane colorways.

“I ended up searching and finally finding someone who sold decent argyle socks,” he said. “It was a manufacturer, but they needed a minimum [order] of 5,000. So, I thought to myself, a lot of people are looking for socks and no one sells them. I eventually built a website and bought an additional 40,000 argyle socks to sell. I started from there and then decided to make a business out of it.”

The entrepreneur launched Argoz in San Francisco in early 2012.

“People make great socks, but they are often novelty socks,” he said. “I wanted it to be more than just fun. We are not afraid to be [lighthearted] but didn’t want to make funny socks.”

Argoz’s debut “Classic” collection featured three styles: regular, large and knee-high, priced from $15 for the regular style to $18 for large and knee-high. Each style comes in three designs: “Kick It,” an orange, neon green, white and vibrant purple overcheck; “Dark Horse,” a gray, white, cobalt and orange overcheck; and “Front Runner,” a cobalt, white, dark gray and orange overcheck.

Designer Maura Pauze updates classic sock styles but retains the quality of a premium sock. Argoz socks follow a traditional argyle pattern but incorporate new twists such as paisley, checks, stripes and diamond overlaps. The toes of Argoz socks are hand-linked, and the socks are designed for American sizes, Soha said.

Argoz socks are produced in a family-owned factory in North Carolina that uses combed cotton that is grown and spun in small U.S. production runs.

Argoz also produces a Primo collection made with Italian Merino wool, and the Luxe collection, which incorporates Turkish patterns. The company also sells other dapper accessories, including bowties and pocket squares and will feature other patterns and designs in the upcoming months. Soha plans to expand the collection to include athletic socks and compression products as well.

The collection is sold in small boutiques in Northern California in addition to the Argoz website.

For more information, visit www.argoz.com.