Russel Fox
Creative Director/Co founder of Fresh Socks

To start with, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your advertising career?
Sure, I started at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne back in 2005. After five years my copywriter and I got the opportunity to move to New York and work at BBDO over there. After two and bit years my wife and I really missed AUS so decided to move home. I ended up back at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, where I stayed for another six year before recently moving to M&C Saatchi Melbourne.

And what about your company, Fresh Sock Co? How did it come about?
Fresh Sock Co was started by Asher Hunter, Angus Pearce and myself. Despite all being from Melbourne we met in New York, where we all lived for a few years. We always knew we’d be back and we loved the idea of bringing something back with us. But to be honest there wasn’t really anything in NY that’s totally foreign to Melbourne. Sure NY is a lot bigger, but we didn’t feel there was a product or offering that wasn’t in Melbourne.

The only thing we felt Melbourne could do with a little more of was ‘side hustle’. It felt like every New Yorker we spoke to had some sort of side project on the go, and it was this mentality that we decided to bring back. So when we were all back we decided to start Fresh Sock Co.

What makes Fresh Sock Co unique?
Well, it’s a subscription service for a start. Rather than ordering a particular design you subscribe and we surprise you with the design. In my opinion it’s the perfect style of side business, because you’re not constantly looking for new customers. It also helps us control our inventory and keeps the cost per pair down.

It often seems in fashion that socks are one of the few ways men can express their creativity and be colourful. What’s your take on that—and sock fashion in general?
Yep spot on. While it’s easier for people in creative industries to express their personal style, this isn’t the case in other industries, and it’s particularly tricky for men. We want to help them show a little flair down there.

You run Fresh Sock Co with a couple of friends—what’s your role in the business?
It’s a really collaborative process. We make all decisions together and haven’t felt the need to give each other specific roles or labels. But we do all have different skill sets, mine skew to the creative side of things. So, I design all the socks and take all the photos.

How does it feel to be your own client?
It’s liberating in the sense that you get make decisions quickly, but I also feel like I’ve gained a great deal of understanding and respect for the practical sides of business.

What have you learnt about running a business, and has that helped in your advertising work?
I didn’t really know anything about running a business before we started Fresh Sock Co. I knew how to create a brand, and while there is a lot of crossover, they’re very different things.

Asher and Angus are much more business minded than me, which really helps. I kind of threw myself in the deep end and had to learn a whole lot really quick. I even had to learn how to use Excel.

You can sign up for a Fresh Sock subscription at freshsock.com.au
They also offer gift subscriptions which make great last-minute Christmas gifts.