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.