Funatic Creative Director Tanya Orstad poses with President Mike Barr.

Funatic is known for its fashionable and usually fun socks, and its wide range of designs has attracted coffee addicts, Bernie fans, dog lovers, Fruit Loop fanatics and more. When perusing new product releases on the market, we often find that we know how to smile, but where does the inspiration for those brilliant witticism come from? Here, GDA interviewed Mike Barr, President of Funatic, to get inside information.

Question: Please briefly introduce the design principles of Funatic Socks. We mistakenly believed that they were "printed" in the October gift book. 

A: Very good question, thank you for your question! Every week, I sit down with my creative director and my friend Tanya (Orstad) from elementary school to brainstorm new socks ideas. Sometimes we are working on new designs launched in January or June, other times we are working on limited edition trend designs. After we came up with the socks idea, Tanya and her team of small designers started to work. After the design is completed, we will send it to one of our factories in North Carolina or overseas for production. There, they knit our socks using soft ring-spun cotton and some of the highest needle count knitting machines available.

Our socks are all jacquard (knitted), not sublimation or printing. We believe that jacquard knit socks are better than sublimation or printed socks because the design runs through the entire socks, so when they stretch on your feet, as the socks stretch, there will be no gaps in the design. In addition, our jacquard socks are knitted to fit the feet, while most of the sublimation or printed socks are of flat tube design, which is not fit and often uncomfortable. Not to mention that most printed or sublimated socks are polyester fiber, while our cotton socks are mainly cotton.

Mike Barr and Tanya Orstad are in the 10th grade.

Q: Where did the design inspiration for Funatic Socks come from? You seem to be able to respond quickly to political issues, popular culture references, etc. 

A: Nothing sells better than our socks inspired by pop culture! Our entire supply chain is built around the ability to respond quickly to trends, and you will see more of this ability in 2022. Retailers on our email list will receive regular email notifications containing our latest limited edition trendy socks. These stylish designs are a great way for retailers to connect with fans on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Q: Are there any new and exciting things to look forward to in Funatic 2022?

A: 2022 will be an exciting year for Funatic! In January, we will launch lively and colorful soft screen-printed tea towels and exquisite stickers. Both can be seen and ordered in our showrooms in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas and Minneapolis, Faire.com and our wholesale website funatic.com/wholesale. We are very happy to launch these new product lines in January!

Q: What is the difference between your socks and others?

A: First of all, I think our well-thought-out and usually interesting popular designs definitely make us different. Our "open purchase friendly" unisex, best-fitting size is always popular with retailers trying to increase sales and reduce spending!

Lenise Willis is the editor-in-chief of Gifts & Decorative Accessories, which has covered the gift, stationery and home furnishing industries for more than 100 years. She graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, bringing print and digital experience in journalism and marketing to the magazine. Through marketing campaigns and print and digital reports, she leads conversations about product trends and news affecting changes in the entire gift industry.

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