WOW! Every year, our Portland Design-a-Sock Contest seems to get better & better! We honestly think there are no limits to the talent that this little town holds! We'd like to extend our congratulations to the Top 3 winners and give each one a moment in the spotlight!
We tracked down our 1st place winner, Samantha, to get a little insight into the creativity behind "The Red Bird in the Tree"!
Name: Samantha Mash
Age: 21
Occupation: Student/Freelance Illustrator/Academic Tutor
Design History: By profession, no, I do not consider myself a designer. I am working towards a career in illustration, and while I can and do design fonts, logos, and clothing designs I've always just seen it as a off branch of my illustrative work.
How did you come up with your winning design? What was the motivation behind it?: I thought about what sort of sock I would want to wear. I've always wanted a pair of wood grain/tree bark socks, but have yet to find a pair I found aesthetically pleasing. I've also wanted some non-traditional autumn themed socks. So ultimately I wanted to try and make a pair myself. To add a little interest I gave it a tree knot and a little bird. I though it might be interesting if you were wearing a tall boot to have the red bird peek out of the top of your shoes--or if worn with pants or a long skirt to have a fun design hidden away while your ankles have a fairly unassuming color and normal pattern. They could be worn more or less subtly depending on the person wearing them.
How long did it take you to create it? It honestly took me only a hour, which is very short for me. It normally takes me 10-25+ hours to make my illustrative work, and since I am a thesis student right now I didn't have a lot of time on hand to devote to this. I simply knew that I needed to make something good and make it fast. $1000 can really motivate a person I suppose!
How many designs did you enter into this particular contest? Only this one design.
Did you have the design in mind before the contest ever started or were you motivated to enter once you saw the contest posted on Facebook? I was really motivated once I saw the post on Facebook. I knew I could really use the money and just started to think of a sock design I would have always wanted, but had never seen.
Have you ever entered a Sock It to Me Design-a-Sock Contest before? No, this was my first time.
Do you plan on entering another Sock It to Me Design-a-Sock Contest? Yes, totally, it was really fun.
What are your other favorite Sock It to Me styles? I really like the "Super Hero!" design, it is so clean and fun. I also love the Mondo Guerra houndstooth pattern, I'm a huge fan of his fashion.
How often do you wear your Sock It to Me's? When it is cold out, especially in the winter when I am at home working on my illustrations.
How many pairs of Sock It to Me's do you own? Right now, only one, but I hope to change that soon.
