The Prime Minister, a Park Bench, and a Pair of Socks with His Face On
By Stand4 Socks · Last updated 1 October 2026
Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
On Tuesday 22 September, the UK Prime Minister sat down on a bench in Central Park with our founder Josh Turner to talk about homelessness.
It was a busy day for him. Andy Burnham was in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly, with meetings that day including President Trump and President Zelensky. His team had been in touch with us beforehand, because they wanted homelessness on the agenda while he was in the city.
He left with a pair of socks with his own face on them.
Why socks, and why homelessness
If you already know us, skip ahead. If not, here is the short version.
People give old coats, food, money, a coffee. Almost nobody thinks to give socks, because they are a wear-through item and you would not hand on a pair full of holes.
But if you are sleeping rough you might be walking considerably further than most people every day, with no way to get a clean dry pair. That turns into blisters, infections and serious foot health problems.
So for every pair we sell, we give a pair to someone who needs one.
- UK
- Europe
- Ukraine
- United States
Ending rough sleeping was the first commitment Andy Burnham made on entering Downing Street, which is why the conversation happened at all.
The sock itself
The pair we handed over features artwork by Manchester illustrator Stanley Chow, produced as an official collaboration with him.
His response on being handed them: “I don’t know what to make of that.”
Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
“You get on and you give back.”
Andy Burnham, Prime Minister
He went on to praise the model of social entrepreneurship, saying: “You get on and you give back.” He told Josh he was “genuinely so proud” of what we have built, describing it as a journey he had followed since his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, where Stand4 was based and grew from 2016.
Quotes first reported by the Manchester Evening News.
What this has to do with your company’s socks
Here is the part that matters if you are reading this because you are thinking about branded merchandise.
The socks the Prime Minister was handed are the same thing we make for our B2B customers. Custom design, custom packaging, made properly, and every pair triggers a donation to someone who needs one.
- Custom design
- Custom packaging
- Made properly
- Every pair triggers a donation
Most branded merchandise ends up in a drawer. A sock works because people actually wear it, and people remember it because it did something. When a head of government picks up a pair and immediately wants to know the story behind them, that is the case for this kind of merchandise made in about four seconds.
That is what we build for the companies we work with. Not a logo on a generic product, but something people keep, wear and talk about, that also does some good on the way out of the door.
Create custom socks people will actually remember
If you want to talk about custom socks for your team, your event or your customers, get in touch.
Get in touch