From Track to Runway: The Story of the Sock Dress

At Feetures, movement is our business. We’ve always believed performance and style can move together, side by side, without compromise. This fall at New York Fashion Week, we set out to prove it — not just with a sock, but with a dress.

Why a Dress Made of Socks?

Feetures began over 20 years ago with one simple idea: rethink the sock to remove distractions and keep people moving. But socks have always been more than performance gear — they’re also style, comfort, and self-expression. The sock dress was born from a simple question: what if we took the most functional piece in your wardrobe and transformed it into fashion at the highest stage?

By creating a couture dress entirely out of Feetures socks, we wanted to celebrate both sides of who we are: technical innovation and creative spirit. It’s proof that the details that make our socks perform — the structure, the stretch, the softness — can inspire design far beyond the run.

The Design Process

The dress was brought to life by Charlotte-based designer Daniel Gonzalez, who saw the project as a way to play with contrasts:

1. A harness top decorated with bows, balancing structure and transparency.

2. A silk-tied waistband and drop waist silhouette to enhance Alexi’s build.

3. A mini skirt layered over running shorts, covered in 200 rosettes made from socks.

4. A cropped silk jacket finished with playful sock fringe, designed to embody energy and movement.
   

It took 150 hours, three seamstresses, and hundreds of socks in our yet-to-be-released Spring ’26 Elite Line to complete the dress — each stitch a reminder that performance and creativity share the same thread.

NYFW: Where Sport Met Couture

The RUNway, our debut at New York Fashion Week, was hosted at Fleet Feet Upper East Side. The morning began with a community run led by Olympian, author and Feetures Athlete, Alexi Pappas and our CEO, John Gaither, then shifted into a celebration of courage, creativity, and style.

The sock dress stole the show — with Alexi wearing it proudly as proof that running culture belongs on the runway. The dress was also featured at the NYFW Gifting Suite, where media and attendees got a closer look at every detail.

For us, it was more than a moment in fashion. It was a statement: socks aren’t just accessories — they define generational style. 

Where the Dress Lives Now

After NYFW, the sock dress has a new home: the Feetures headquarters in Charlotte. It now lives as both a work of art and a symbol of our mission — to keep people moving, whether on the track, on the streets, or yes, even on the runway.

Because at Feetures, we’ll always push boundaries. And we’ll always believe your best is just steps away.