Happy Socks appoints U.S. country manager

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jun 16, 2021

Quirky Swedish sock brand Happy Socks announced on Tuesday the appointed of Kelly Barton as its new country manager for the U.S. region.

Barton joins the brand from fellow Swedish company BabyBjörn, where she served as director of marketing and merchandising. Prior to that, she led teams at Skip Hip and Havaianas. She holds a wide range of skills within e-commerce, social media, merchandising, and trade programs areas, and is well-versed in developing modern approaches to reaching consumers. 

Her arrival at Happy Socks comes as the brand focuses on its next phase of growth in the United States.

"With Kelly joining, we move forward with a new way of working in America and company-wide, with regards to elevating brand relevance, and bringing Happy Socks to our end consumer,” said Happy Socks CCO, Ryan Looysen.

“We are ready to further highlight who we are, what we stand for, and what it means to be Playful Pioneers, while of course driving commercial results.”

Happy Socks CEO, Emil VIklund, added: “The U.S. market is a fundamental part of Happy Socks DNA and has been a source of inspiration for many of our successful collaborations. We expect our U.S. team to be a key driver of our growth going forward. By recruiting Kelly, we have given the team the best circumstances to succeed.”

In January, Happy Socks tapped Viklund as its new chief executive officer. He took over for Steven Gardener, who exited the company to pursue other career opportunities. 

First launched in 2008 by Mikael Söderlindh and Viktor Tell, the company has since grown an average of more than 50 percent per year and has sold over 70 million items, turning an everyday essential into a colorful design piece.

In 2015, Happy Socks sold a portion of the company to Swedish investor Scope Capital. In just two years revenue grew more than 140 percent, surpassing all expectations. In 2017, Palamon Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in the company.