Men’s fashion trend sparks new business venture

Ever find business suits boring and bland? For some, colorful ties add enough excitement to formal ensembles. But John Pope, a senior majoring in finance, went the extra two feet with his new business, Tie Your Socks.

“We sell matching ties and socks (in) bright colors,” Pope said. “They’re super soft and they’re fun. And for all those guys out there, if they want to impress the girls, they have to dress well; have to be looking classy.”

Made in China, the ties are silk and the socks are made from bamboo with a handwoven wool interlining in the toe to prevent bunching.

“I’ve seen bamboo and I’ve eaten bamboo, but I never knew that a sock could be made out of bamboo,” said Mark Hopkins, a senior majoring in business administration. “Until you put your foot in a bamboo sock, you are missing out one of the great, heavenly products that exist in this life.”

The venture started when Pope combined his desire to create a business before graduating from college with his passion for matching his ties and socks. He saw men’s fashion trends with more color and expression and decided to go for it.

“People seem to like it when you match and coordinate the tie and sock,” Pope said. “More people are doing it now, so I think our timing to market is really good because you see a lot more colorful socks or even matching ties now.”

Tie Your Socks went from idea to opportunity for Pope with help from the Entrepreneurship Club, whose goal is to help student businesses create revenue said Spencer Bailey, president of the club and a senior majoring international business and finance.

“I first came across them when they entered the Opportunity Quest last year, which is kind of the hallmark competition for the Utah State Entrepreneurship Club,” Bailey said.”They came in and competed with it but they were kind of not all the way there with their business development and so they didn’t end up winning the competition.”

Pope didn’t get discouraged or give up. Instead, he sat down with Bailey and reworked the Tie Your Socks business plan into a manageable enterprise.

“Why it really stood out to me is John Pope,” Bailey said. “I think that every organization is really based around their leader and John Pope really has a tenacity about him that he goes and gets things done. He learned things really quickly and he would immerse himself in those opportunities to become a strong leader. And so, under his leadership, Tie Your Socks was able to progress rapidly whereas some other entrepreneurs don’t have that deepened commitment or tenacity that John portrayed throughout the whole process.”

Almost a year in the making, Tie Your Socks opened online preorder sales in October and will ship products in mid-November. Ties cost $30 and socks are $10. Tie and sock combinations cost $35 during preorders and another pair of socks can be added for $5 more. Pope said prices will raise to $55 when product lands.

In addition, Tie Your Socks donates a pair of new socks for every combo purchased to Clothing Closets, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping unemployed persons reenter the workforce by offering training services and secondhand dress clothes. Pope organized the charitable effort in a program called Socks to Suits.

“We like to give back to the community,” Pope said. “We’re looking for (Clothing Closets) locally here so that more Aggies can see the impact of what they’re buying.”

Orders can be made online at TieYourSocks.com with an extra 15% off any purchase through the coupon code: CLASSYMATCHINGAGGIE2012.

“Check out the site and buy some socks and ties,” Pope said. “You won’t regret it. The socks are the most comfortable ones you’ll ever wear. The modern match for the modern man. That’s kind of our slogan.”

— lormialor@gmail.com