Stance Releases its Fall 2018 Brand Campaign ‘Uncover the Uncommon’

Stance today unveiled its Fall 2018 brand campaign –“Uncover the Uncommon” – a multi-dimensional creative endeavor that serves as both an ...

Stance today unveiled its Fall 2018 brand campaign –“Uncover the Uncommon” – a multi-dimensional creative endeavor that serves as both an invitation and an exploration into what it means to bring uncommon creative expression to the common every day.

In a first for the brand, the cohesive cross-category, dual-gender campaign brings together all of its lines of basics – socks, underwear, and an upcoming category set to launch on July 17th– as well as pulls in wide array of consumer categories into one creative point-of-view and one overarching message. The campaign nods to what the brand itself has accomplished by uncovering the potential of an overlooked basics category – socks – but at its core, ‘Uncover the Uncommon’ is meant as an invitation for people to reinvent their world by finding and unleashing their own creativity.



“Stance has done an exceptional job at building authenticity within the various worlds we live in from surf and skate culture to performance sports, lifestyle and fashion niche markets. But as the brand has grown, our creative and storytelling needed to find a better way to connect our diversified product categories as well as unify our position within the market,” said Candy Harris, Chief Marketing Officer of Stance. “With this campaign, we champion what the brand is truly about, regardless of category: We celebrate human originality, and we want to inspire people to express their own.”

The campaign tells the story of ‘Uncover the Uncommon’ through its roster of brand ambassadors, known as Punks & Poets, as well as by highlighting everyday people who have injected creative thinking into the world, and in so doing, have positively impacted those around them. The brand’s original mantra – ‘The Uncommon Thread‘– is brought to life visually through the inclusion of thread throughout the print and video portions of the campaign to serve as a continuous creative identity.



The campaign was developed in-house by Stance’s creative and marketing teams with video production collaboration with Portland-based Kamp Grizzly. The print portion features the thread art of Mexican artist Victoria Villasana, and Chilean artist Jose Rosmissi who is based in Berlin. By taking the portraits of 11 Punks & Poets and threading visual cues into them that convey pieces of their personalities and unique ways of seeing the world, these portraits establish the first piece of creative for ‘Uncover the Uncommon.’ The 11 Punks & Poets include James Harden, Nora Vasconcellos, John John Florence, Lauren Fleshman, Jimmy Chin, Ishod Wair, Bubba Watson, Gemita Samarra, Jossi Wells, Felipe Toledo, and Jose Altuve, with more to follow.

Secondary action images of each Punk & Poet incorporate another layer of thread art, and the third image for each ambassador showcases a piece of Stance product that they wear. The three-part series of print creative tells a progressive story about seeing the world as a canvas for self-expression.



The video portion of the campaign is comprised of three types. The first piece to kick off the campaign communicates what it means to ‘Uncover the Uncommon.’ It showcases the passions of various Punks & Poets while animated thread art colors the world they create in.

A second series of videos called ‘Uncommon Kin’ are short clips narrated by Punks & Poets that provide a glimpse into the psyches and personalities of these creative thinkers, lending insights into the makings of true originals. The first to be deployed feature Nora Vasconcellos and Allen Iverson, two individuals who have changed the game in their respective fields by unapologetically being themselves.

The third portion of the video series is called ‘Uncover Your Uncommon.’ This series uncovers everyday people who have injected creativity into something that could easily be overlooked, and in the process, have inspired and changed the world of those around them. The first spot of ‘Uncover Your Uncommon’ features North Carolina fifth grade teacher Barry White Jr. Known affectionately as ‘the handshake teacher,” the simple act of creating a unique handshake based on the personality of each child in his class has changed the lives of his students and perfectly exemplifies how a simple act of creativity can inspire others to see the world, and themselves, differently.

“We marvel at how our customers bring self-expression to their every day, proving that creative originality isn’t reserved for celebrity athletes or artists,” said Harris. “So many amazing people have seen themselves in our brand, and we wanted to put them center stage.”

‘Uncover the Uncommon’ begins to roll out today, with different pieces of creative being released throughout the rest of the year and through the Fall of 2019. To see the campaign, follow @stancesocks on Instagram or @stance on Facebook, or by following the hashtag #uncovertheuncommon.

ABOUT STANCE
Embracing “The Uncommon Thread” as its mantra, Stance took one of the world’s most boring apparel categories and turned it into one of the most exciting in just a few short years. Stance’s founders saw a category that had been ignored, taken for granted, and dismissed. By breathing life into something that had been overlooked, Stance ignited a movement of self-expression and innovation that has now extended into its men’s underwear, women’s intimates, and dual-gender t-shirt collections. Stance’s complete offering of superior basics serve as canvases for self-expression and can now be found in over 60 countries on those who are comfortable being uncommon.

THE BACKSTORY
As people began taking notice of how Stance was turning the sock category on its head through art and design on the fashion side, the company’s relentless focus on innovation and material science began to earn it major recognition in the performance and sports worlds as well. Stance’s eight-year journey is marked with impressive milestones and multiple firsts for any brand, regardless of industry.

On the fashion and lifestyle side, Stance has released an impressive list of projects and collaborations, including having Rihanna as a contributing creative director, and collaborations with brands like Maharishi, Neighborhood Japan, Libertine, New Balance, and Modernica. Additionally, projects with legendary cultural influences like Mark Gonzalez, TDE, and artists like Kevin Lyons and Mister Cartoon, provide a glimpse into the work that has made the brand a go-to choice for original thinkers and creatives.

On the performance and sports side, Stance was the first brand to have its logo appear on any piece of the NBA’s official uniform. It was named the league’s on-court sock for the 2015 and 2016 seasons and was worn in every game by every player in the league for those two seasons and is still designated as the official casual sock of the NBA. A year after Stance made its mark in the NBA, the brand was chosen as the official sock of Major League Baseball and is currently worn on-field by every team in MLB.

Throughout its eight years, and because of its uncommon approach, the company has drawn an iconic group of personalities to its roster of ‘Punks & Poets,’ including skateboarders Nora Vasconcellos and Ishod Wair, NBA legends and future legends Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, MLB American League MVP Jose Altuve, two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson, world-renowned mountaineer and photographer Jimmy Chin, back-to-back World Surf League Champion John John Florence, Transworld Rider of the Year Louif Paradis, and US track-and-field pioneer Lauren Fleshman.

To learn more about Stance, visit www.stance.com, or follow @stancesocks on Instagram or @stance on Facebook.