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Exclusive Design for Hayward Gallery

Hayward Gallery socs

  We are pleased to announce our latest sock collaboration with The Hayward Gallery and designer Benjamin Craven, in celebration of the gallery’s re-opening this Spring. As London’s Hayward Gallery celebrates its 50th anniversary and stages the first major UK retrospective of the work of acclaimed German photographer Andreas Gursky, We are delighted to unveil their new sock design – the Hayward Gallery Edition. The sock was commissioned by the Hayward Gallery for their launch and is now being sold exclusively in the gallery shop.

  Designer and illustrator Benjamin Craven takes his inspiration from everyday sights and occurrences; from the bright colours of the supermarket aisles to architectural collisions - high, low, and all around. The surroundings and minutiae of everyday life are his constant source of inspiration and through his work, he sets out to encourage the viewer to appreciate the playfulness in art and life with a fun, pop aesthetic.

designer socks

In synergy with the design of this landmark Brutalist building and the emblematic sites and scenes of the global economy and contemporary life portrayed in Gursky’s works, the new sock has several striking and adventurous features Craven wanted to capture, including the many amazing angles and textures of the building. For the first time ever, the gallery’s pyramid roof lights allow natural light into the spaces below and these too are represented in the collaboration. Craven’s inventive use of colour led to the creation of something very special for this unique collaboration. Craven adds “It was hard to not get carried away. Concentrating on the iconic robot face, I felt like this was a great opportunity to play with colour and patterns. Everyone needs a jazzy sock!”

view of london from Southbank centre

Photo Credit Morley von Sternberg

Hayward Gallery is a part of Southbank Centre and has a long history of presenting work by the world's most adventurous and innovative artists including major solo shows by both emerging and established artists and dynamic group exhibitions. They include those by Bridget Riley, Martin Creed, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, Jeremy Deller, Anish Kapoor, René Magritte, Francis Bacon and David Shrigley, as well as influential group exhibitions such as Africa Remix, Light Show , The Human Factor, Psycho Buildings and most recently The Infinite Mix. Opened by Her Majesty, The Queen in July 1968, the gallery is one of the few remaining buildings of its style. The Brutalist building was designed by a group of young architects, including Dennis Crompton, Warren Chalk and Ron Herron and is named after Sir Isaac Hayward, a former leader of the London County Council.

colourful socks from front
colourful socks from back