Our Story
The Wilson Brown story began in 1979, when Russell Wilson founded “Pro Feet,” a sock distribution company that focused on supplying mass merchandise retailers and the US Military. Russell’s gregarious personality, tireless work ethic, and customer-first mindset were perfectly suited for the highly relational sock industry.
Even with boundless energy, Russell quickly realized he could only make one sales call at a time, so he began to build a strong network of professional sales representatives to promote the Pro Feet brand nationwide.
Within a few years of launching his business, Russell’s entrepreneurial instinct led him toward the team athletic market. His catalog of sports socks soon became the “handbook” for many family owned sporting good stores across the country. Pro Feet’s performance sock lines became synonymous with quality and durability.
Over nearly four decades, Russell and his team grew Pro Feet into a recognized and respected brand within the industry. Pro Feet weathered multiple economic downturns, the demise of American textile manufacturing, and widespread industry consolidation.
In 2012, Russell sold Pro Feet to his son Taylor and longtime friend Callum Brown, a CPA by trade. Building on the values Russell infused into the company, Taylor and Callum developed a new vision and strategy for the Pro Feet brand. Recognizing Pro Feet’s significant presence in the team athletic market, along with the company’s growing interests in other industries, Taylor and Callum decided to fully align the Pro Feet brand with its sports line of socks and create a new name for the company.
Plans were laid in early 2018 to rename the company “Wilson Brown Sock Company.” The name change was more than a fresh coat of paint. At its core, Wilson Brown is committed to a resurgence in American textile manufacturing, bringing back to US soil the socks and jobs that were sent offshore. We’ve invested heavily in technology, process improvement and in our own knitting operations in North Carolina. We’re training the next generation of sock producers.
We’re not doing this because it’s better for the bottom line or because “made in the USA” sells better. We’re doing it because we value our people, our customers, and our communities.
Wilson Brown owns a family of niche-market sock brands, including:
- Pro Feet – a wide range of athletic socks, including: soccer, basketball, baseball, football, lacrosse, and cheer
- Brown Dog Hosiery – a lifestyle sock brand appealing to outdoor enthusiasts
- WB WorkWear – performance sock lines for postal, military, public safety, and the workforce
- WB Originals – custom programs for the Ad Specialty business as well as other organizations who need a branded or themed sock; short-run and large-scale options available
While a lot has changed, Wilson Brown is in many ways the same company Russell Wilson founded in 1979. The entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to innovation, and customer-first mindset are stitched into every sock.
Whether on the field or on the beat, in a work boot or in a loafer, at the club or in the gym, Wilson Brown makes the socks people love to wear.