Bhaskar Bhat is the Managing Director of the Titan Company, one of India’s most successful lifestyle companies. He is greatly respected in corporate circles for having led the company with distinction over the past several years. If you meet him, you will notice his large sparkling eyes, his thoughtful responses, and how attentively he listens to what you say. You will also notice his sober and dignified dress, which is often a checked shirt with formal trousers, and elegant black leather shoes.

Recently, however, I noticed one small but significant change in his outfit. He had begun wearing brightly coloured socks. Sitting next to him at a meeting, I saw that he was wearing bright pink socks, with turquoise blue stripes on them. This struck me as highly unusual, so I asked him the reason. “I got bored of the same old, plain grey and black socks,” he responded, “so I walked into a neighbourhood showroom where I loved the colourful socks they had on display. You know, these socks add a nice, bright touch to my long days in the office.” He also shared with me some very interesting insights into why coloured socks have begun increasingly appealing to him, which I will narrate later in this article.

Coloured socks everywhere In the meanwhile, I have begun noticing coloured socks all around me. Many more of my colleagues have begun wearing socks which are bright red, or yellow, or orange, and, in one particular case, also a shade of silver. These are regular corporate people, if you know what I mean — executives who like their dull grey suits and blue shirts, and who have always had a somewhat conservative, formal style of dress. They still wear these muted and formal shirts and trousers, but their socks have changed completely, to being bright, loud and colourful. Why on earth, I wondered, have my colleagues changed their socks?

Then, quite suddenly, this intriguing subject entered my own life. Normally, I like wearing socks that are just black and blue in colour. In fact, for many years, I have worn just these two colours with complete satisfaction. Two months ago, my wife went out shopping on my behalf, and she came back with a triumphant smile on her face. “Look at what I have bought you,” she said, “coloured socks. I think they will make you a less boring person.” One pair of socks was bright purple in colour. The other pair had three marvellous colours on a single sock — blue, yellow and red. A third pair had pink and green stripes running all over. With some persuasion, I began wearing these socks. Now, I must confess, I am loving them.

Love for colours So, why do people love wearing coloured socks? Perhaps one reason is that all of us need some colour and brightness in our routine daily lives. While women naturally wear colourful apparel to office, working men need a colourful fashion accessory, too. Socks are a good place to begin, because they can be easily tucked under tables, where they will not upset bosses or clients — unlike a bright yellow or red shirt, which is still not acceptable as office wear in many corporates or banks. Brightness and colour bring cheer and happiness, and can improve mood.

This need has been wonderfully articulated by the brand “Happy Socks”, which has been created with one simple vision in mind — “to turn a pair of socks, an everyday accessory, into a designed colourful item that spreads happiness.” Happy Socks offers an amazing range of colours, which include sparkling orange, dark purple, bright silver and dazzling gold.

Another reason for the love of coloured socks is that men have stopped wearing ties to offices, except for very formal occasions. Ties used to add colour to a man’s formal attire, and men used to revel in a range of interesting tie designs. Now, in the general absence of ties, socks have become the alternate accessory that can add a touch of distinctiveness and personality to a man’s dress.

The London Sock Company, which specialises in socks of all styles, caters to this specific need for distinctiveness by producing not just coloured varieties, but also socks that have been developed in collaboration with reputed stylists and designers. So you could have socks with paisley designs, or big colourful dots on them, or even a picture of Iron Man.

Contemplation and rebellion Bhaskar Bhat, the Managing Director of Titan whom I referred to at the start of this article, provided me another interesting insight into why consumers wear coloured socks. He says that whenever he is lost in thought, or trying to grapple with a challenging issue in his mind, he loves glancing at his wrist watch or at his feet – they provide a focal point that enables him to concentrate better, come up with ideas and evolve solutions. And while doing this, it helps him to look at colourful socks on his feet, rather than at plain grey or black colours. “The bright colours stimulate my mind, I think,” he says, “and often on long flights, when I take my shoes off, this works even better.” However, there is also a very different need that coloured socks cater to. Many people feel trapped in the conservative social codes of the corporate world, because they believe that they are inherently free-spirited beings. So you may be a banker who has to wear pin-striped suits to office each day and project a serious personality through the day, but you know that you are a carefree adventurer deep within. Coloured socks provide you just the right accessory to liberate yourself, and rebel against the staid dress codes that your organisation expects you to adhere to. They are rebellious, and they are expressive.

The many consumer needs that coloured socks cater to do not stop here. Lauren Rothman, author of the book Style Bible – What to wear to work , highlights another human insight. “Folks are showing their power, their bravado in the boardroom. The louder the socks, the bigger the wallet.” Perhaps tycoons and billionaires wear coloured socks to make this powerful statement. So the next time you see a photograph of Vijay Mallya or Mark Zuckerberg or Donald Trump, do look out for their socks, if you can.

A big opportunity Last weekend, to test the market reality of coloured socks, I visited Raymond’s Made-for-Measure shop at the Palladium Mall, located near my home in Central Mumbai. They had an amazingly wide range of coloured socks on offer, all at premium price-points. The salesperson told me these socks were moving very fast, and he pointed out a pair of “camouflage style” green socks as his bestselling design.

He also took me through several pictures in the Raymond’s catalogue that is available in the store, pointing out how virtually every formal suit in the catalogue was worn with coloured socks. “This is the new fashion trend,” he concluded, and then he added, “Sir, you must buy a few pairs too.”

Here is a big consumer opportunity. At the very least, every apparel marketer and retailer will need a very wide range of coloured socks, quickly. Then again, brands could also develop premium coloured designer socks, in collaboration with reputed Indian designers such as Tarun Tahiliani and JJ Valaya.

I can also imagine Salman Khan socks and maybe even narcissistic socks with your own selfies printed on them. Brands will, of course, earn significantly higher profit margins from these differentiated offerings. At a broader level, there is opportunity for injecting vibrant or subtle colour into virtually every accessory for men — coloured and patterned shoes, handkerchiefs, briefs, belts and wallets. For marketers who are keen to explore this, there are bright green lights ahead.

Harish Bhat is author of “Tata Log: Eight modern stories from a timeless Institution”. These are his personal views.

bhatharish@hotmail.com

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