Happy Socks launches "Straight Outta da Medina" collection with Andy Wahloo

By

Robin Driver

Published
Oct 5, 2021

Offbeat Swedish sock brand Happy Socks has teamed up with Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj and his streetwear label, Andy Wahloo Apparel, for a colorful collection celebrating North African culture.

 
Entitled “Straight Outta da Medina,” the collection offers four different sock designs, all made in organic cotton. Channeling the streetwear label’s idiosyncratic aesthetic, the designs mix traditional North African sayings and symbols with pop culture references for a unique offering.
 
The mismatched Halal & Haram sock pair features a green, red and yellow design intended to resemble a stop sign. One of the socks in the pair reads “Halal” (“allowed”) in Arabic, while the other reads “Haram” (“forbidden”) – a reminder that “nobody is good or bad, we’re all a bit of both,” according to the brand.

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The Mosaic Sock seeks to bring together past and future, combining the traditional Hamsa symbol and Morrocan Zelige mosaics with a vibrant contemporary color palette and fluttering butterflies.
 
Finally, the Andy Stripe Sock features an all-over Andy Wahloo Apparel logo in Arabic, while the Atlas Lion Sock proudly displays an image of the rare Barbary lion.
 
Individual sock pairs are priced at $16. Three of the designs are also available in a three-pack gift set priced at $48.
 
Moroccan-born and London-raised, Hajjaj is famous for his pop-art-like street portraits in Marrakech. His work is also featured in museums including the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and Fotografiska in Stockholm, Sweden.
 
His Andy Wahloo Apparel brand, the name of which means “I have nothing” in Arabic, seeks to form a link between local artists and the international fashion industry, all while celebrating “Souk Wear,” the hip-hop streetwear style from the Marrakech Medina.
 
“When I got approached by Happy Socks, it was a no-brainer to do this project,” explained Hajjaj in a release. “Socks are often a part of my artwork, so I was hoping to design my own at some point. Happy Socks has the same spirit that I use in pictures and the brand represents what I represent.”
 
The Happy Socks x Andy Wahloo collection is available to purchase now at Happy Socks concept stores, as well as on the brand’s e-commerce site and at select retailers.