Part of the reason we at Charity Charge love festivals such as South by Southwest is because we get to meet wonderful entrepreneurs who are breaking the business mold by going above and beyond. This was the case with Bombas socks, which you may recall shared the discussion floor with Charity Charge at the WeWork Social Good panel we mentioned on our previous blog post. At the wrap of the panel, Bombas CEO and Founder Dave Heath had baskets with Bombas socks up for grabs… but took the time to encourage everyone in the audience to take two: one for them and one for a homeless person. You see, the mission of Bombas is to provide a sustainable solution to the most requested clothing item at homeless shelters—socks. And Heath wanted everyone to experience firsthand what it felt to give back.
Bombas does not only go above and beyond by following the increasingly popular one-for-one business model, but also by optimizing sock technology through tailored design for both the consumer market and the pro-bono beneficiary. On one hand, Bombas spent two years in research and development to create the best sock for a better price by tackling common nuisances people have grown accustomed to (but shouldn’t): slipping, blisters, bumps, discomfort, etc. Insights from these tests resulted in Bombas’ staple sock tech that finally provided a solution to these overlooked problems, including Performance Footbed, Extra Long Staple Cotton, Stay-Up Technology, Blister Tab, Y-Stitched Heel, Honeycomb Support System, and Invisitoe.
Pairing two base colors with accents of neon, its athleisure style alone makes Bombas stand out from the black and white plethora of socks out in the market. But its mission to “Bee Better” follows them at every step of the way, having their mantra literally sewn on the inside of every sock. This continues at the point of purchase, where every pair of socks bought will result in an equal donation of socks to a homeless person. However, you won’t be donating the same sock you just bought. You’ll be donating something better.
Bombas engineered a separate set of socks with the realities of homeless people in mind. In order to create the most personalized sock for their needs, Bombas partnered with Hannah’s Socks, a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to help people affected by homelessness and poverty by collecting and donating socks. Together, they created a sock that worked best for people who do not have the luxury of clean socks everyday yet need the product to last longest. Bombas’ Donation Sock sports darker colors to show less visible wear, has anti-microbial treatment that prevents the growth of fungus and requires less frequent washes, and has reinforced seams for greater durability and a longer lifespan. So far, Bombas has donated more than 900,000 pairs of socks to people in need.
When it comes to going above and beyond, there are few that excel at this as much as Bombas does. Every aspect of their business model is designed and optimized to be the best version they can be and offer the very best to every possible stakeholder. Charity Charge is happiest when we learn of companies trying to make the world a better place, so we encourage you to check out their site, learn more about their mission, and buy an awesome pair of socks—and feel good about it!