By Madeline Alvarez, Staff Writer
While some people collect rocks or action figures, junior Sydney Triggs collects something that is both fun and useful: socks featuring unique patterns.
Triggs said her appreciation for socks began in the fourth grade during a trip to Disney World when she and her mom bought matching pairs featuring Minnie Mouse.
Triggs said that although she still has this pair and a few others from grade school, it wasn’t until she was a college freshman that she officially started collecting socks. Since then, her collection has grown to include between 50 and 75 pairs, only 40 of which are with her at Newman.
“The good thing about socks is that they can be put away in a drawer and no one has to know about my secret obsession,” Triggs said.
Among the different patterned socks she owns, Triggs has one pair of socks with stegosauruses on them, one with koalas, one election day pair, one with sunglasses, one doctor themed pair, one with tigers, one featuring Winnie the Pooh, nine pairs of Valentine’s Day socks, three pairs of St. Patrick’s Day socks, two Halloween pairs and 14 pairs of Christmas socks.
But her favorite pair of socks features her favorite snack: french fries. Triggs said this was the pair that started her obsession with socks. She found this pair at a trip to the mall and thought, “I need these socks in my life.” Although she was unable to purchase them at the time, Triggs later received them as a Christmas gift from her parents.
Triggs said she has another pair of french fry socks and she alternates between the pairs, wearing one of them every Friday.
“I wish I could find more fry socks,” Triggs said.
She also wears her holiday themed socks on the appropriate holidays.
Triggs said she is “always on the hunt” for more pairs of unique socks and has plans for which ones she wants to buy next, including Thanksgiving-themed socks, Easter socks, Newman socks and Texas socks.
“That’s where I’m from and I definitely want to represent,” Triggs said.
Triggs said that she has inspired others to wear unique socks as well.
“I personally feel like I inspired my Dad to start getting into patterned socks,” Triggs said. “He says that he’s the OG but we really know who’s the original sock collector in the family, and it’s me.”
She said that she and her friends enjoy bonding over finding new pairs of patterned socks.
“I find a pair of socks and I’m like, ‘We should get some together!’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah!’ because then they have crazy socks to wear with my crazy socks,” Triggs said.
Triggs said that she does not always keep the socks she buys for herself. She sometimes gives them as gifts and she has also donated them to homeless shelters.
“When I was in high school, I found out that socks are one of the least donated items at homeless shelters,” Triggs said. “So that became a big thing of mine, was to go and buy socks and then just donate them to homeless shelters just so that [people wouldn’t] have to walk around barefoot.”
She said that one of her life goals is to purchase a pair of socks from Bombas Socks. The company will donate a pair of socks to someone in need for every pair that a customer buys.
Triggs said she thinks that wearing patterned socks is “a fun little quirk.”
“A lot of the time, you probably won’t know that I’m wearing crazy socks, so it’s just a fun little surprise: my socks are crazy.” Triggs said. “Sometimes I just like wearing them and then getting compliments on them.... They just bring me joy so I wear them and then I feel like it brings other people joy just to see crazy socks around campus. It’s just a fun little thing to do.”
PHOTO: JUNIOR SYDNEY TRIGGS started collecting socks when she was in grade school. Madeline Alvarez, Staff Writer
