The best ideas are born out of a desire for change. Inspired by the lack of design, quality and colour available in the sock and hosiery industry, Álvaro Gomis and Felipe Cortina founded Jimmy Lion in 2014 with the mission to offer a fun and vibrant alternative to the usual black and white products available in the market.
The story begins…
- 2014: From the world of banking to making socks
The two friends, Álvaro and Felipe, took a leap of faith and left their jobs in banking to create their brand, Jimmy Lion. Inspired by the entrepreneurial ecosystem of New York City, Jimmy Lion was created with a clear goal in mind: to offer customers the most original and premium quality socks, at affordable prices. In May 2014, the founders launched their first collection, a small production of 8,000 pairs made in Portugal, on www.jimmylion.com. Orders were shipped from their flat in New York City, which by now was not only Álvaro and Felipe’s home, but also the brand’s logistics centre and office.
- 2015: Jumping into the off-line channel
After one year focused on E-commerce and many trips to the local post office, Jimmy Lion launched in multi-brand stores in New York and department stores across Europe, such as El Corte Inglés. In addition, Jimmy Lion also opened its first pop-up store on Mercer St, SoHo NYC.
- 2016: International expansion begins
Jimmy Lion’s international adventure began with the participation of the brand’s first fashion trade shows, including Seek in Ger- many, Pitti Uomo in Italy and Liberty in the United States. At this point, the brand became available in more than 200 points of sales and distributed through their online channel in more than 40 countries.
- 2017: The year of the first collaborations
Jimmy Lion called upon the British model, designer and DJ, Harley Viera-Newton and a true Spanish Icon, Mahou beer, for their first two brand collaborations. Only three years after its launch, Jimmy Lion had sold 500,000 pairs of socks!
- 2018: New milestones on the way
Jimmy Lion opened its first flagship store in Madrid, on Fuencarral St. and launched another iconic line: Athletics, the sports-inspired collection. After opening in several new countries and gaining 100,000 followers on Instagram, sales kept on growing and by this point, one million pairs of Jimmy Lion socks had been sold worldwide.
- 2019: Further expansion of the retail channel
Following the success of its first flagship store, Jimmy Lion opened two new stores: a second store in Madrid and one in Barcelona. In the meantime, Jimmy Lion launched in luxury department stores Palacio de Hierro, Mexico and Galeries Lafayette, France. To cope with the increased demand for Jimmy Lion socks, production was expanded to Italy.
Jimmy Lion also supported a charity close to the founders’ hearts – the Aura Foundation. On World Down Syndrome Day 2019, the brand launched a special collection and all the profits from this collaboration were donated to the Aura Foundation. This initiative directly supported 18 individuals with learning disabilities find their place in the workplace.
- 2020: A year that we will never forget
The Covid-19 pandemic left the world paralysed. Aware of the seriousness of the health crisis posed by the pandemic, Jimmy Lion donated 10,000 pairs of socks to more than 70 hospitals. While the world stopped, creativity continued: Jimmy Lion launched their first successful collaboration with Universal Studios and their popular E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Back to the Future collections.
- 2021: Jimmy Lion continues on its path
Jimmy Lion opened its first own 1500m2 logistics centre in Madrid. The team expanded by a further 40 members of staff and the followers across Jimmy Lion’s social media profiles exceeded 370,000 followers. Celebrating its seventh anniversary, the brand has sold more than 2.5 million pairs of socks in over 50 countries, through its e-commerce platform, three stand-alone stores and more than 400 stockists around the world.
