Stepping Into Purpose: Our Collaboration with High Fives Foundation

We’re honored to partner with High Fives and share their mission with you. Whether you’re gearing up for day full of runs or heading out on your next adventure, you can step into our new High Fives sock knowing you’re helping make a difference.

Meet the High Fives Foundation

The High Fives Foundation is all about rewriting the possibilities in adventure sports for athletes who’ve faced life-changing injuries. This non-profit has become a beacon of hope, providing resources and recovery for injured athletes and veterans, helping them return to the activities they love — whether it’s skiing, surfing, biking, or climbing. Their mission extends beyond just recovery, inspiring positivity and resilience in every aspect of life.

Founded by Vermont’s own Roy Tuscany after a 2006 skiing accident that left him paralyzed, High Fives is a “pay-it-forward” organization with a spirit of adventure at its core. Roy’s determination to get athletes back on the mountains, in the surf, and beyond has changed countless lives.

Creating Socks with a Purpose

As a product designer at Darn Tough, I had the privilege of working directly with Roy Tuscany and High Fives athlete Trevor Kennison on this sock collaboration. Roy and Trevor visited our mill in Vermont, where I teamed up with Olivia, one of our talented product developers, to create a sock that embodies the heart of the High Fives Foundation while staying true to Darn Tough's hallmark comfort, durability, and fit.

Sock Design

The design revolves around the High Fives logo — a bold number 5 inside a badge. But it’s more than just a logo. The golden sun rising over a tree line symbolizes new beginnings, another day to live life to the fullest — something deeply meaningful to Roy.

Roy helped choose the sock’s colors with care. Outdoorsy blues and greens are combined with vibrant gold and orange stripes, echoing the rising sun in the landscape. As a final touch, we added the words "High Fives" on the inside cuff, ensuring the spirit of the collaboration shines through both inside and out.

Sock Tech

But we didn’t stop at design. This Over-the-Calf sock is built for performance with soft midweight terry loop cushioning in the footbed, offering warmth and comfort perfect for long days on the mountain.

The stretchy 1x1 rib knit on the leg ensures a snug and secure fit, while our signature Snow mesh panels enhance ventilation and flexibility, reducing bulk and pressure points.

And of course, it’s made with our premium Merino Wool, a fiber that naturally reacts to your body temperature, keeping your feet warm and dry all day long.

Socks Giving Back with Every Step

Through our Knit to Give platform, we’re proud to donate 5% of every sale from the High Fives sock back to the High Fives Foundation. Your purchase doesn’t just keep you warm — it helps High Fives continue their life-changing work, supporting athletes as they recover from life-changing injuries.

Designing for Inclusion

In an era where manufacturing is increasingly outsourced, the rarity of Made in the USA products sets our approach apart. Many designers miss the chance to engage deeply with their customers or to quickly receive prototype samples for iteration and refinement, which limits their ability to create truly impactful products.

Fortunately, manufacturing in Vermont presents us with a unique opportunity: in addition to designing the High Fives sock, our Product team also collaborated directly with Roy and Trevor, crafting socks specifically tailored to their individual needs — socks designed with accessibility at their core.

Roy and Trevor started by trying on various socks with me and Olivia, and they shared their experiences of how socks, as one of the last layers to put on, can often be the most challenging — especially since they can’t feel their feet. This opened our eyes to the unique problems they face and gave us the chance to develop solutions through design and fit.

One issue Roy and Trevor highlighted was that Snow socks are often too long for their lean legs, requiring them to roll their socks down 3 to 5 inches to avoid uncomfortable bunching behind the calf. We tackled this by creating a shorter, custom height that keeps them warm.

Another challenge was the difficulty of putting on socks that were too tight or too long for individuals with paralyzed feet. To address this, we introduced a more flexible stitch pattern in the leg and increased the stretch at the cuff and arch. We even added a larger flex window in the mesh to minimize material bunching for a smoother, more comfortable fit.

Roy and Trevor field-tested two different prototypes, helping us fine-tune the designs until we had custom socks that are comfortable, functional, and easy to dress. From adjusting sock heights to reducing calf pinching and making socks easier to put on, we’ve learned so much about the importance of adaptive design.

While these special socks were custom-built for Roy and Trevor and aren't available for purchase, the insights we’ve gained will help us improve our customer experience by approaching design and fit with a more inclusive lens.

As a product designer, it’s incredibly fulfilling to create socks that not only provide comfort but also embody a mission of hope and recovery. I hope our collaboration with High Fives resonates with you as much as it does with me. Together, let’s support athletes in their journey toward reclaiming their passions.

About the Authors

A Vermont native, Jenny is the creative force behind Darn Tough’s Product Design team as the Design Manager. Her love for product and design ignited at the tender age of five when she picked up her first needle. When she’s not crafting the perfect sock, you can find her with her hands in the dirt in the garden or building epic forts with her daughter — because every day deserves a touch of adventure.

Knit geek and Product Developer Olivia loves working with athletes and customers to develop smarter and better-performing socks. Before moving to Vermont, Olivia spent 7 years living on a ski resort in Washington state, and was completely immersed in the world of “gear” and how it can affect an athlete’s experience. When she is not in the office working on new developments, she is home… knitting on her personal knitting machines, and spending hours walking her dogs.