Rapper Wiz Khalifa tells us about his love of socks

An unlikely figurehead for cosy-toed comfort, rapper Wiz Khalifa tells Frankie McCoy about his love of socks
Frankie McCoy11 October 2018

Sock season is here.

Socktober, you could say. Socktober is the time to rejoice after the sweaty loafers and gnarled flip-flops and chafing deck shoes of summer. Shh, listen carefully. That’s the sound of your feet breathing a little sigh of bliss as you ease a pair of brand new socks over your beleaguered trotters, the wool or cotton cosseting each precious toe like a swaddled newborn, providing a knitted buffer between delicate pad, defenceless heel and the cruel world of leather insoles. Freed from shoes, these mittens from another mother provide snuggly armour against the chilliest of bathroom tiles or bedmate’s toes and allow you to confront wizened, unloved stumps with impunity.

Justin Bieber
FilmMagic

Socks: they’re great. For someone who makes his money rapping, Wiz Khalifa has hitherto seemed oddly unenthused about wrapping his feet in cosy cotton, preferring nude tootsies in Gucci loafers. But the young, wild and free-from socks days are behind Khalifa.

Now, the once notoriously sockless hip-hop heavyweight is less about the hoes, more about the hosiery. Say hello to Happy Socks x Wiz Khalifa, a collection of foot gloves as colourful as you would expect from the man whose first US No1 single was called ‘Black and Yellow’. Because if socks are great, colourful socks are greater: Liberty reports sock sales up 43 per cent year on year and an increase in demand for novelty and vibrant colours — perhaps from notable bright-footed stars such as Justin Trudeau and Jon Snow.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
AFP/Getty Images

So, Wiz, what is the socks appeal? Socks "complete an outfit, add some swag to your outfit. You know, just elevate", enthuses the singer from Pittsburgh whose net worth is estimated at £35 million. Happy Socks was a particularly propitious partner in his reconciliation: "I have always been a fan of the brand because of their dope styles and how they play with loud prints. Just makes sense with my style." You know what else makes sense with Khalifa’s style — a look he summarises as ‘chill, comfortable and happy’?

The Sock Edit

1/4

Cleanliness. How many consecutive days do you think the auteur of 2015 hit ‘See You Again’, which spent 12 non-consecutive weeks topping the US Billboard 100, wears his socks? "One day, man! No one wants any smelly feet. Also, if you work out in them, probably less than a day." Wizdom indeed. Beware rigid adherence to the cleaning schedule of the 31-year-old whose latest album, Rolling Papers II, debuted at No2 in the Billboard chart, though. The Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated father of one and friend to Snoop Dogg confesses that socks frequently go missing at casa Khalifa: "I am always losing socks in the laundry."

Shocking — or should that be, socking? If you, like Khalifa, also find yourself frequently odd-socked, it’s time to stock up (or should that be, sock up?) on this season’s hottest, happiest pairs.

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