Meet this year’s Hokie socks designers: Mikaela Saint Hilaire and Mia Jimenez

This year marks the fifth release of student-designed Hokie socks.

As in previous years, this year’s limited-edition socks were designed by Virginia Tech students and selected by the Hokie community to be released as limited-edition Hokie gear. They are now available as a thank you when you make a gift to Virginia Tech.

This year’s student designers are Mikaela Saint Hilaire and Mia Jimenez. Here is what sparked their creativity to bring you this year’s socks.

Saint Hilaire, a senior graphic design major, designed a dress sock with a sports-inspired twist.

“My design started off as a football field inspired sock,” she said. “I wanted to depict the sense of community and spirit that Virginia Tech Athletics has. So I came up with a football field sock, which eventually evolved to the current design.”

Saint Hilaire’s finished design has recognizable field yard lines with a Virginia Tech logo on the bottom. At the top, there is an end zone that says "Hokies."

“It’s very neutral with a pop of color so it will look great with anything,” she said.

“It would definitely be a look for that game day ‘fit!” Jimenez said.

Jimenez graduated in May with a degree in graphic design. She took her inspiration from the foundation of Virginia Tech’s campus: Hokie Stone. 

“When I was designing my sock I thought to myself, what do people think of when they hear the name Virginia Tech?” Jimenez said. “Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is maroon and orange, but for me the first thing that came to mind was Hokie Stone because almost every building on campus is built with it and I feel like Hokie Stone is what brings Hokies together.”

“I wanted my socks to be a love letter to Blacksburg,” she said. 

Jimenez’s design incorporates different shapes of Hokie Stone, its different colors, and the hue variants so you see patterns of Hokie Stone you might see across campus. 

The design process challenges students like Saint Hilaire and Jimenez to think creatively while giving them an opportunity to support what they are passionate about. 

Reflecting on the experience, Jimenez said, “I definitely underestimated the amount of work involved in designing Hokie socks. There were meetings, and there was a lot of planning, feedback, and communication throughout the process, but doing this made me a better artist.”

Both Saint Hilaire and Jimenez are excited their designs were chosen for this year’s limited-edition release, but the thing they’re looking forward to the most? Seeing Hokies wear their designs on campus and throughout Blacksburg.

“We got to design something people can hold on to for a long time,” Jimenez said. “Being able to contribute to something like this is really cool. We always say Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), so what better way to give back than through our designs?”

“Holding the socks in my hands makes me proud because I did this. I did this for my school,” Saint Hilaire said.

For Saint Hilaire and Jimenez, and Hokies everywhere, Hokie socks are more than socks. They are a beloved Virginia Tech tradition that supports the university while giving Hokies a way to stay connected to the community. 

Get a pair of this year’s designs by making a gift now through Nov. 1.