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Appleton-based entrepreneur and YouTuber Brian Davis says his innovations typically stem from a desire to address annoyances in his personal life — even ones as simple as having to change his socks after work.
“I found that when I would change socks, that’s when I would lose all my motivation to work out,” he says.
So he set out to create a simple sock that would work for multiple activities and last all day — even many days — without getting wet, smelly or uncomfortable.
He ordered sock samples from all over the world and the answer soon revealed itself: alpaca.
Naturally antimicrobial, alpaca’s hollow-core fibers make the material light and moisture-wicking. Unlike wool, which suffers in durability because it requires extensive processing to prevent it from being itchy, and synthetic materials, which don’t stay warm when wet, alpaca is naturally the perfect sock material, Davis says.
“If you’re a hunter and you accidentally step in a puddle wearing crappy synthetic socks, your day can be ruined, right?” he says. “You’re spending anywhere from $1,500 up to $20,000 for these hunting trips, [buying] all this gear, a $400 pair of boots, and then you go buy a three-pack of socks for $12 at Walmart. That decision to cheap out on that critical piece of gear can ruin your day in no time at all. The difference between a $4 sock and a $24 sock is measurably different. It’s a low-cost luxury upgrade.”
So as Davis seeks to make socks the next hot luxury item, it’s worth pointing out that neither socks nor alpacas are anything new. What has been relatively new is opening the pipeline to Peru, which has been knitting alpaca socks for generations but previously lacked the technology to create a performance product like Hollow.
“People would travel to Peru and bring home a pair of socks, but the issue was, it was like your grandmother knit a pair of socks,” Davis says. “They weren’t tight; they didn’t have spandex and nylon in them.”
Peru has 4 million alpacas and the next closest country has approximately one-tenth that number, Davis says, making imports from the country central to the existence of Hollow Socks.
Davis started Hollow on Kickstarter in 2019 and the brand reached $1 million in sales by 2022 behind the muscle of his co-founder Zach Stuck, an Appleton‑based digital marketing specialist who is currently serving as Hollow’s CEO.
Thanks to a heavy digital marketing investment, mostly in Meta, Hollow Socks racked up sales of $8 million in 2023, $20 million in 2024 and $47 million last year. Late last year the company experienced some customer service delays due to its massive demand, which Davis says they are resolving — including through hiring a new brand manager — as it eyes a forecasted $65 million for 2026.
Hollow’s customers are 83% male, mainly because men are disproportionately represented in tradeswork and hunting — two of the product’s primary audiences (along with hiking, running and skiing). But it also makes compression socks that have earned raving fans among nurses and flight attendants, Davis says. By design, the socks don’t come in flashy colors or fancy prints because they are meant to be versatile. And because the same pair can be worn for three days (the record is 12, Davis says), they are also great for lightening the packing load when traveling. Hence, the simple color capsule of black, white and grey.
Davis says retail will be a key growth area in 2026; Hollow Socks are already available in Scheels and are coming soon to Bass Pro Shops. Davis says he and Stuck would like to find additional retail partnerships with “mom and pop” shops as well.
People are learning that a good sock is worth the investment, Davis says.
“It’s just so fun to provide an amazing experience for people if they’ve never had good quality socks before. Like, it’s just a blast.”
