The dA-Zed guide to happiness

Read or watch just one interview with Viktor Tell, and it’s clear the Stockholm designer has cracked the code. He floats with an air of genuine optimism and carefreeness that’s hard to find in an owner and creative director of a hugely successful global business. His company, Happy Socks, started with a simple but ambitious dream – to bring “happiness and quality to every corner of the world.” And over the last six years, they’ve seemed to find more corners with each season: over 20 million Happy Socks have been sold in more than 70 countries.

Tell and his partner Mikael Söderlindh have revolutionized the sock game entirely, slinging a fun and unexpected design aesthetic onto an otherwise flat fashion necessity. Even stiff businessmen are now donning socks that scream with Tell’s bold patterns, bright colors, and wild shapes. With equally fun market strategies (which included untamed campaigns shot by the likes of David LaChapelle and Terry Richardson), inspired collaborations, and Tell’s ability to endlessly play around with new designs and creations, it’s no wonder the man doesn’t have a complaint in sight. Take a trip through his Instagram to find out what 26 things keep him smiling all year round.