Hysterical love of socks & Print!

Paula Maso is a graphic-designer-turned-textile-designer. She is a citizen of the world, originally from Caracas, Venezuela but has lived in London, Barcelona and now Sweeden. Maso is responsible for the quirky and eye-catching designs of Happy Socks’ first-ever women’s Line, Hysteria. To say that Paula loves colors and print is an understatement. Her design philosophy is “more is more,” which is perfect for Happy Socks and can save you from a lot of boring outfits in the future!

What is your passion? Design in all shapes and forms. I’m always on the look for beautiful things and love being surrounded by color and fun objects, and this, of course, includes fashion and socks! Other than that, cooking and eating are pretty high on the list as well.

What is Hysteria all about? It wasn’t too long ago that women were called hysterical if they acted out of the ordinary. We see women embracing self-expression as a mark of strength, and we believe in their right to express themselves however they want. Hysteria is a powerful word that represents this freedom.

Hysteria is the first lifestyle sock brand solely focused on women’s socks with a strong, modern aesthetic. It’s a fun fashion accessory and a means of self-expression. We put so much love and passion into all the details of the brand: from the packaging to the styling, to our communication, Hysteria is meant to be seen as a little piece of everyday luxury with a strong, modern aesthetic. Crafted with carefully selected materials and with a mindful design, it will either compliment your outfit or make an ordinary outfit pop!

Describe your creative process It starts with a very abstract idea. For Fall/Winter 2017, our debut collection, it was the work of Italian architect Gio Ponti. From there I mood board around it and create a more substantial design direction, together with a color palette and print references, and it’s a month-long design ride from there! I try to keep a balance between everyday staples and image pieces, working with hidden “for-your-eyes-only” details that will make the socks easier to pair up with any outfit. After the collection is almost done I go over the entire range and adjust color (I always use too much pink…) and after a sketch review and a prototype meeting with the whole team we make a final tweak according to the additional comments.

Where do you find inspiration? In absolutely everything! Architecture is a big part of it, but it can also come from a song, or a memory, or someone else’s work even. It’s ever-changing and a very open process.

What brands or artists do you most admire and how do they influence your work? I adore Italian fashion and gather a lot of inspiration from them. I think they’re brilliant in making odd combinations work and they’re not afraid to have fun and even be a little tacky. Marni and Prada my go-to design gurus, and I also follow the work of Roksanda and DelPozo very closely. I love their mindful approach to color and volume.

Your favorite print? I’m a geometric kind of person. My favorite print this season has to be our Florence sock. It was a hassle to make it happen because it’s quite intricate and has a lot of colors, but our fantastic Portuguese weavers helped to make it a reality, and I cannot get enough of it!

Favorite color combination? That’s so difficult! Can I pick a few? Cobalt blue and coral red. Leaf green and bubblegum pink. Caramel brown and lilac.

the perfect pair of socks? I might be a bit biased…but anything from Hysteria by Happy Socks! Fun, feminine and with a great hand-feel.