New Sock Designs Arrive to Celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland

This October, we’re celebrating our incredible friends with Down syndrome—and the first full year of GiGi’s Playhouse Portland—with a brand-new set of limited edition DSAM socks, available all month long to those who donate to our DSAM Fall Fundraiser!

Back in 2024, before GiGi’s Playhouse Portland even opened, a heartfelt conversation between a Nike executive and his ophthalmologist sparked the creation of our first DSAM sock collection. Four local community members with Down syndrome—three inspiring kids and one dedicated Nike employee—shared their creativity with the apparel designers at Delta Galil, who transformed their ideas into unique socks.

This year, we’re excited to share four new sock designs inspired by GiGi’s Playhouse Portland regulars, in partnership with Les Schwab Tire Centers, spreading awareness about Down syndrome throughout October 2025!

Nicole is a fashionista and a romantic at heart. Her modeling credits include a PSA for Washington County’s Developmental Disability Services and the Parks & Recreation section of a Hillsboro City Hidden Creek mailer. Nicole’s design features the words “Goodness, Respect, Kindness,” and bright salmon polka dots on white. The vibrant red toe and heel are like a wink to her favorite fellas: firefighters!

When Nicole had a couple of medical scares, firefighters helped her get to the hospital, and their heroism stays with her. She says that the Hillsboro Fire & Rescue “has the hottest babes,” and makes a point to bring the firefighters treats every few months as a thank you for helping her when she needed them. This time, the treats were a box of cookies, and a pair of these awesome new socks!

Cisco and Caroline have been supporters of GiGi’s Playhouse Portland since before we opened. Last year, Cisco helped create a pair of socks featuring a bus on a sunny day; this year, he and his mom worked together to inspire the “More Alike Than Different” socks. This design is a bright blue sky with a sprinkling of rainbows, reminiscent of the moments when the Portland rainclouds part to show us something spectacular.

While people with Down syndrome can give typical people the feeling that they’ve met someone extraordinary, Cisco and Caroline remind us that we are far more alike than different. Cisco and his twin brother (who does not have Down syndrome) both come to GiGi’s with curious minds and mischievous twinkles in their eyes; neither are easy to impress, but when they decide they like someone, they are so much fun to play with!

Soraya is an aspiring writer, a literacy tutor (Cisco is her student!), and GiGi’s Playhouse Portland’s very first Ambassador. Her sophisticated, colorful design carries the simplest message known to humans: “Love.” With an offwhite base and four-color stripes, these socks have a vintage 70s feel to them, with gorgeous modern colors. Soraya often expresses her love for low-tech, nostalgic activities: coffee shop visits, journaling, and reading novels. She loves the positivity at GiGi’s, and has been one of the main voices advocating that the Fantastic Friends go out and about more often.

Isaiah almost always has a smile when he comes through the Portland Playhouse’s threshold. His socks show three of his favorite ways to show affection: waves, smiles, and “Hugs.” Dazzling blue and soft yellows fit Down Syndrome Awareness Month perfectly, and when you look closely, you get a little greeting from Isaiah himself! He comes to GiGi’s for both free literacy tutoring and speech therapy, and participates in hippotherapy (horse-riding) and alpaca therapy out in our Pacific Northwest community. All of these activities help Isaiah develop his communication and motor skills, and he is proof that a little belief in ability can make all the difference in someone’s life.

Les Schwab Tire Centers continue to be a repeat sponsor, showing how businesses can make a huge impact in our community. This Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Portland-area Les Schwab locations will offer these DSAM socks to customers who donate $20 or more to GiGi’s Playhouse Portland. By participating, donors help support free programming while spreading awareness about the creativity and resilience of our friends with Down syndrome.

Ready to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in style? Donate to our DSAM Fall Fundraiser at any point in October and pick up a pair—or five!—of these limited edition socks at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland.