Stance is
an American sock and underwear brand
founded in 2009 by Jeff Kearl, John Wilson, Aaron Hennings, Ryan Kingman and
Taylor Shupe. Stance is headquartered in San Clemente, California. In its first
four years the company had sold over 15 million pairs of socks and raised $36
million in venture capital.[citation needed]
Embracing
"The Uncommon Thread" — the Stance mantra. In less than five years, we
have turned socks into one of the world's most exciting categories. Stance's
founders saw an outlet that had been ignored, taken for granted, and dismissed.
By breathing life into something that had been previously overlooked,
we've ignited a movement of art and self-expression that continues to
draw athletes, performers and iconic cultural influencers to our
brand. Stance is the official sock of the NBA for the 2015-2016 basketball
season and features exclusive sock collections designed
in collaboration with celebrities and artists.
Stance
was founded in 2009 by Jeff Kearl, John Wilson, Aaron Hennings, Ryan Kingman
and Taylor Shupe. The original founders saw an opportunity to address a
category of fashion they felt had been overlooked by many brands and the
majority of the industry.[4]
The
company first began shipping product in 2010, and has since shipped over 15
mil. pairs of socks, has raised a significant amount of venture capital and is
sold in over 40 countries worldwide.[5][6]
In
March 2015, the Wall Street Journal reported the company had raised $50 mil.
from Silicon Valley venture capital firms and that the brand would be expanding
into men’s underwear. In April 2015, the NBA announced that Stance had been
named the official on-court sock of the NBA starting in the 2015-2016 season.
As part of the deal, Stance would be allowed to display its logo on all socks
worn on-court by players, a first in NBA history for apparel companies.
“That
means the Stance logo (and not that of Nike, Adidas, Reebok or any other iconic
brand that existed before 2009) is going to be the first to have its emblem
stamped on a licensed piece of league equipment.” [7]
In
2015, Stance posted a 356% employee increase from the previous year, reaching
114 employees, at its San Clemente headquarters. Stance was listed No. 24 on
the Orange County Business Journal’s list of the 51 Biggest Based in Orange
County Apparel Businesses.