Christian and Justin Arquilla used to work in finance, but they embarked on an entrepreneurial venture after Justin started to face an all-too-common problem with his footwear—the smell.
“I had been walking around in New York loafers,” Justin recalled, “like boat shoes or whatever, all day, and [my wife says], ‘Your feet smell terrible, your shoes smell terrible. You have to start wearing those little no-show socks.’”
The Origin of Gekks
Per his wife’s suggestion, Justin went looking for no-show socks available on the market. Ironically, he found that most of the ones he tried would either show or slip down. This got him thinking: why couldn’t he make a better product? This idea was enough for him to call his brother and pitch the business idea—a no-show sock knitted with antimicrobial silver yarn that slides into the shoe.
Gekks launched in 2015 with rapid success. The brothers then expanded their product line to include a women’s no-show sock fitted to ballet flats, and by 2019, 90% of the company’s revenue came from women’s products. Unfortunately, March 2020 brought pandemic lockdowns, remote work, and less reason to buy Gekks.
Finding Opportunity During the Pandemic
It was a good thing that Christian had visited a North Carolina hosiery mill for Gekks where he felt alpaca fiber for the first time, and the brothers were already a few years into the development of a new product.
“I went into the sales manager’s room,” Christian recalled, “and he had this cone of yarn on his desk that I felt, and I was like, ‘What is this? This is super soft, and I’ve never felt something like it before.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, well, that’s alpaca.’”
Pacas Rises to the Occasion
The Arquillas started work on Pacas in 2017, testing a range of sock designs sourced from the highlands of Peru.
“Everyone’s talking about merino wool as this performance fiber, [and] it is,” Justin said. “Then on the other end, you have cashmere, which is known for its softness and has this luxury appeal. Alpaca is this fiber that literally has everything that merino wool and cashmere have, all in one. So it’s like the Ferrari of fibers—it’s the most incredible fiber ever.”
As the development process went on, the brothers realized they could produce high-quality alpaca socks at a reasonable price. In October 2020, Pacas was launched under the Gekks umbrella, selling $52 three-packs. Though considered a luxury sock, they out-price $30-a-pair cashmere socks. The company generated about $400,000 in just its first month, and rave reviews flooded in.
Rapid Growth and Success
Due to the new brand’s success, the Arquillas decided to separate Pacas from Gekks. Over the next three years, Pacas saw more than $45 million in sales. The company has sold 3.2 million pairs of socks and has more than 360,000 customers in the United States alone. Pacas has quickly become the brothers’ most successful business, although Gekks continues to grow.
Giving Back
As their businesses find success, Justin, Christian, and their brands are committed to giving back to their community. Pacas has built sustainable partnerships with around 20 local children’s hospitals to provide kids with alpaca socks during hospital visits, confident that the socks will keep them warm and comfortable.
Anticipating the Future
As the Arquillas prepare for future growth, they anticipate overcoming whatever challenges come their way.
“There are no right answers, and you really have to figure stuff out by yourself,” Justin said. “Every day [is about] problem-solving. You think it’s going to get easier, but as you scale, the problems just get bigger and more complex. It never ends. You wake up, solve today’s problems, then go to bed and start it all over again.”
