Skinny's Oral History of Scion Socks

In 2004, the Scion Motor Company began to embed itself in the American DJ community. It started with hip hop shows, a presumably obvious choice for a car company aiming at the Pimp My Ride demographic. But due to collapsing genre boundaries, Scion ended up deeply invested in dance music. It laid the groundwork for the movement's current prominence by working with labels like Fool's Gold, Mad Decent, Trouble and Bass, Dim Mak and SMOG. The company brought prominent DJs on tour to secondary markets and bankrolled smaller parties across the country. An entire generation of DJs, from hotshots like Diplo to small-timers like me, got a boost from Scion. They gave out money, exposure and promotional juice.

But most importantly, they gave out Scion socks.

Before every Scion event, the company would send out boxes of promotional gear. The fare ranged from all-star compilations from their affiliated labels to subpar breath mints stamped with Scion logos. The most popular item was always the Scion socks. Their ubiquity mirrored the company's all-encompassing presence in American nightlife. What follows is a brief oral history of the Scion sock from those who remember the magic:

Jeri Yoshizu, Scion Sales Manager, LA: At first when a person sees them, they say, "Really? Socks?" Then, they say, "Wow! Socks!" People love them, and they often ask later about them and request a pair. The relationship continues because they really are great socks.

Cosmo Baker, formerly of The Rub, NYC/Philadelphia: One of the first out of town events The Rub did was in Atlanta and they had a whole bunch of Scion socks. I hadn't packed socks for that trip, so I put them on and I was like, "Oh man." It was like sliding into a silky luscious sleeve for my foot. It was a very sensual experience.

DJ Ayres, The Rub, NYC: They were the best, especially with touring, because you wouldn't have to pack socks if you were going on a Scion tour.

Mike the 2600 King, Minneapolis: When the socks started to surface I was like, "OK, whatever," then eventually I put them on and I was like, "Holy shit—these are the most comfortable socks I've ever put on." You grabbed them like, "Oh, this will be funny," but then you realized they weren't playing.

Sammy Bananas, Fool's Gold, NYC: My thing about socks in general is that six or seven years ago, I threw out all of my cotton socks in favor of different synthetic weaves. That being said, I do have some pairs of Scion socks in my sock drawer right now, and they're the only cotton socks I own.

Action Jackson, Rad Summer, Indianapolis: I was promoting heavy with stickers and CDs. I was like, "Why do we get socks?" Then I went and touched them and decided I had to keep some for myself. After a couple parties, everyone started asking about them. They would always be the first to go at the tables. People started realizing how good they were.

Jubilee, Mixpak, NYC: Me and Star Eyes were gonna make a Mr. Oizo's "Flatbeat"-style Scion sock puppet video but it never happened.

Jeri Yoshizu: We needed branded merchandise, as every company does. We went through a ton of failed merch—gum, belts, flip flops, etc. But the socks were the most successful. I love socks, and was thinking about how everyone needs a fresh pair of socks.

Cosmo Baker: People thought it was something silly but I think they knew what they were onto. I still have plenty of pairs and they're still really nice even though they say Scion on the back.

Action Jackson: It became this running joke with the DJs. Everyone was wearing them.

DJ Ayres: It was like a secret. The general public wouldn't even get them. You had to go to parties that were sponsored and the bouncers couldn't get them because the bouncers' feet were too big.

Sammy Bananas: I like the idea of them as gang colors that you only get to see when people are wearing shorts. People in the know knew about Scion socks.

Mike 2600: Anyone who had them was a DJ, promoter, or worked at a venue. Basketball players didn't know about them, chefs didn't know about them, only people who worked in some kind of music industry-related thing was up on these things. You would talk to, like, a DJ's girlfriend and she would have them.

DJ Ayres: The rare Scion socks were the original—gray with white heels and white toes. I have a lot more of the black ones but they're weird to wear with shorts unless you have black shoes.

Cosmo Baker: The black socks were a gamechanger because of their diversity. You can't wear white socks with black shoes. They work wth sneakers, with high-end shoes, it didn't matter. They became the great equalizer.

Action Jackson: The black socks were way more functional.

DJ Ayres: You would never jerk off into a Scion sock.