MWB-ONLINE.CO JULY 2017 | LAST ORDERS | 78
LAST ORDERS WITH... MIKAEL SÖDERLINDH Isabella Griffiths speaks to Mikael Söderlindh, founder of Happy Socks, chairman of Stutterheim and founder of The Cords & Co, to learn more about the recent investment by private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners into Happy Socks, the future growth of the brand and the best piece of business advice he’s received. — Place of birth: Sweden Lives: Sweden Twitter: @HappySOfficial Website: www.happysocks.com
What made you and Viktor Tell set up Happy Socks? Happy Socks started in the spring of 2008 when Viktor and I wanted to create a design piece and do something happier with our lives. Socks seemed to be a forgotten item and we couldn’t find the styles that we wanted to wear. We decided to become the playful pioneer of colourful socks. — How would you describe the USP of Happy Socks? We believe in creativity, individuality, selfexpression and having fun. We want to bring unexpected colour and design to an everyday essential, and create a pair of high-quality socks and underwear for every occasion, mindset and style. — Did you anticipate that it would grow into an internationally recognised label? We quite quickly noticed that we filled a soughtafter gap in the market, and that the concept had global potential. Together with our international network of strong distributors, and with the unique sock designs, we started to attract icons such as Snoop Dogg, David LaChapelle and Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club, all reaching out and wanting to collaborate with us. — British Palamon recently acquired a majority stake in Happy Socks. What does that mean for the brand’s future? The last two years we successfully accelerated the growth and development of Happy Socks beyond expectations. We have built a super team and transformed the company into a real engine by strengthening our global presence and how we work. I am really proud of what we have accomplished together with Scope and our distribution partners around the world. And how it has made it possible for Happy Socks, and for me and Viktor personally, to take this next step.
We have achieved the best of both worlds: we have a strong new partner and remain significant owners in a great business that we have built and will continue to build for years to come. — You are expanding globally, including a major push in China and the US this year. How important is the UK market for you? The UK is one of our key markets, and it is definitely a growing territory. We’re always looking for suitable concept-store locations. We’re also teaming up with The Beatles on a limited edition Yellow Submarine sock collection this fall. Each pair commemorates the iconic animated film that Viktor’s dad was actually part of creating back in 1968. —
QUICK QUESTIONS What is your personal style? It depends on the occasion; I try to take the custom where I am.
What are the three things on your bucket list? To achieve a great physical and mental challenge. Be the best father possible. See an ice bear. — Tell us something people don’t know about you. I have a big passion for my daily exercise, a long distance run that I do daily. This is my routine where I sort out my day-to-day schedule and process my to-do-list. I have so much energy, and I channel this when running. Without the run my day would be a blur. — What is the best piece of business advice you have ever been given? Work hard as nothing comes for free, and there are no free meals: said to me by my father.