When you want to accessorize your socket, you go to Socket Socks. And when you want to accessorize your residual limb itself? Allow us to introduce Amputee Sock Prints. Billed as the world’s first and only purveyor of customized amputee socks, this brand-new company offers colorful 3-ply sleeves that you can slip onto your limb or over your shrinker. Amputee Sock Prints offers a catalog of roughly 200 designs, but many customers choose the DIY option instead, creating their own designs and uploading the file via Amputee Sock Prints’ online design portal.
At just $16.99 a pop, they’re easy on the pocketbook. That was extremely important to company co-founder Sidney Luis Muniz, who got the idea for the business after his mom lost a leg below the knee as a complication of diabetes earlier this year.
“I’ve always considered my mom a strong woman,” says Muniz. “She’s sitting in her wheelchair [after the amputation], and she was just glowing. She says: ‘I can’t wait to get my prosthesis. I’m going to stand, I’m going to walk, I’m going to see my grandchildren, and I’m going to go forward.’ And I’m looking at this beige thing wrapped around what used to be my mother’s leg, and I immediately thought: ‘That doesn’t represent her. It doesn’t represent this person.’”
When he went shopping for an amputee sock that matched his mother’s sunny disposition, Muniz was surprised to find that it didn’t exist. He placed a call to his buddy Mark Miller, a Desert Storm veteran with deep ties the military community. Together, the pair have 60 years’ experience in commercial art and marketing. They immersed themselves in the intricacies of materials, dies, print processes, and digital design. Meanwhile, Muniz took the temperature of the limb-loss community to gauge the demand for socks that don’t suck.
“I spoke to so many amputees,” he says, “and everyone told me: ‘God, these [socks] are so dull and boring.’ People want to accessorize. They want to wear something that’s fun and uplifting and makes them feel powerful.”
An artist by profession, Muniz specializes in hand-painted murals for commercial and residential properties. He has done commissions for major companies such as Anheuser Busch, Sports Authority, and Trader Joe’s, along with dozens of local businesses across seven states. Muniz also has a soft spot for kids, with a self-published children’s book and a passel of murals that adorn kids’ bedrooms. His images have a distinctive storytelling feel, capturing the sensibility of the neighborhood or building in which they appear.
Amputee Sock Prints has a similar goal. They allow amputees to say something about their life story, reflect a piece of their personality, raise their fashion game, or just have a little fun. The socks are made from moisture wicking synthetic fabrics, and they’re machine washable and dryable. Find them online at amptueesockprints.com.