9 Fathers Day Gifts Ideas for 2021 (That Aren’t a Pair of Socks)

We all love our dads (probably) and other father figures in our lives. The day to appreciate these wonderful people is just around the corner.

Nobody is quite sure why, but somewhere along the way, socks became the go-to item for Nairobi women fathers day gifts, and as presents for their brothers and male friends .

Sock are undeniably one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments. They are the single greatest factor in determining the health of your feet (if you wear closed shoes) and can literally save you from freezing to death. But before we go too far along that tangent, we have a proposition for you.

This Father’s day, let’s skip the lazy ‘socks and ties for dad’ charade and put a little bit more effort into it this year. No trips to Paris or anything crazy like that. Just a list of items that could considerably improve their day-to-day quality of life.

PS: If you're reading this and it's not father's day, feel free to use this as a general guide for a gift guide for guys.

TDLR;

1. New shoes
2. A wallet
3. Custom-print t-shirt
4. Custom tote bag
5. Facial mask
6. Fanny pack
7. Headphones
8. Bluetooth speaker
9. A mug

1. A pair of sneakers (or regular shoes)

Let’s get this one out of the way. Guys love shoes. There are few other things on the planet that you can get men to universally agree upon other than shoes. That hasn’t always been the case, but with the rise of streetwear and contemporary brands like Yeezy, men started outspending women on apparel and footwear in 2016.

We can divide guys that like shoes roughly into three categories:

The sneakerhead

That’s not to say all guys have the same taste in shoes, but it should be easy to guess. By taking one look at their shoe closets, it should be easy to guess where on the ‘shoe mindfulness’ spectrum they lie. Do they fill their closets with easy-to-recognize shoes like the holy Nike Air Force One? Or maybe they just have a pair of Jordans set aside to wear on ‘special occasions.’ If so, they are likely high on the sneakerhead spectrum and a pair of sneakers is definitely a good choice.

The average Joe

The second category of people are those that take the occasional dip into the pool of sneaker culture but have never veered too deep. They know what Jordans are and perhaps understand their cultural significance but have never bothered to bury themselves in the symbols that surround it. A thoughtful gift might serve as the inspiration for a new lifestyle, perhaps? Either way, a pair of sneakers is a great option for the average person, too!

The cynic

Remember the stat about guys spending more on apparel than women? The only category where this wasn’t true was men over 45.

To be clear, the cynic doesn’t hate shoes or the culture around them - they just don’t care. Shoes are for wearing and nothing else. Function over form, if you will. Or maybe that’s too cynical? It’s not to say they don’t necessarily have fashion sense but they can’t be bothered to understand what’s so great about a pair of shoes. And that’s okay.

It could be that they just don’t care about sneakers or prefer formal shoes. Either way, you probably need to know their taste a bit better before getting anyone in this category sneakers.

Our favorite fathers day gifts - sneakers

Just so we don’t spend too much time on sneakers and forget everything else, here’s a quick list of our favorite sneakers for dads. Whether it’s just to wear when hanging out or something good for a morning run, here are our top three (in order of sneaker affinity):

Air Jordan 1s

These are easily the most popular sneakers in streetwear. They are a lot ‘louder’ than more mainstream shoes like Air Force 1s or Stan Smiths but any sneakerhead will appreciate a new pair of Jordans.

Nike Air Force One

There’s no beating the classics. Air Force Ones can be worn with almost anything and work for anyone.

Adidas Ultraboost “Core Black/Cloud White”

If you’re on the market for fathers day gifts more traditionally aligned to dads, any pair running shoes should do the trick.

2. A wallet

If you’ve ever owned a good wallet, you can probably appreciate how life-changing it can be. There’s hardly anything like ‘the perfect wallet’ because they are a lot like shoes or cars - it depends on at least a dozen factors. We’ll pick just two - form and function.

Find something that matches his personal aesthetic. Maybe he’d prefer a small wallet that can snugly fit in all of his pockets or maybe he’d like something beefy to carry cash and passports in.

It doesn’t have to be a flashy designer wallet made with feathers from Cupid’s wings. A custom engraved wallet is a nice cheap option on the lower end of the spectrum. That should set you back anywhere from Ksh. 1,000 to 5,000

If you’re got more cash to burn, Hugo Boss make some of the best wallets on the market. These cost upwards of Ksh. 10,000 though. There are plenty of options to choose from, but as always, quality comes first.

3. A custom-print t-shirt

Another great option fathers day gifts idea is to get him a custom-print T-shirt. The tee could have an image of the family having a good time or it could be an embarrassing photo he asked you to delete but you never did.

Printing a t-shirt costs around Ksh. 400 minus the cost of the actual shirt. In total, expect it to get to around Ksh. 1,500 per t-shirt.

4. A branded tote bag

That’s right! It’s about time we started normalizing tote bags for men. Briefcases and backpacks are nice, but have you seen how great custom designed tote bags can be?

5. African Black Soap Facial Mud Mask

A lot of men hate being associated with even the thought of thinking about using makeup. It’s the ultimate kick to their masculine pride. While that’s not bad in itself, the problem is that guys tend to lump ‘makeup’ and ‘skin care’ in the same general category of ‘things women do.’

That’s silly, of course. Everyone needs to take care of their skin. In my experience, facial masks are one of the best ways of showing people just how transformational proper skin care can be. Why not get him some facial mask and see if he’ll be a bit more motivated to up his grooming game.

6. A fanny pack

Fanny packs have been making a silent comeback for a long time now. And why wouldn’t they? They’re great! They can be used just for storing the regular stuff: phones, cigarettes, cash, gum and the like. These can easily be modified to fit your lifestyle, of course. Anything goes!

Besides, wearing one isn’t as effeminate as it was once considered. As long as a guy can wear one without looking like a complete parody or Seinfeld, a fanny pack can be life-changing.

As a bonus, these are mostly pick-pocketing proof! If you want a great idea about what to find in fanny packs, check out this great article by The New York Times.

7. A good pair of headphones

We all love music, but have you ever used a pair of active noise cancelling ear buds - preferably American brands like Skullcandy, Beats and JBL or Chi-fi earphones from brands like Tin Audio.

It’ll probably set you back more money than if you opted for a cheap pair of 200 bob earphones off the street, but trust me, there’s a difference. You’ll never want to take them off.

The easiest choice, again, is JBL. The JBL Tune 110 should be a great introduction to the world of noise cancelling earphones at around Ksh. 2,000 or less.

If you want to products that cut straight to the chase, look for products in the sub - Ksh. 10,000 category, but not less than Ksh. 5,000.

You’re not guaranteed to get good stuff just because it costs more, but cheap stuff almost always costs more.

8. A Bluetooth speaker

This had to be put out there. Of all the amazing fathers day gifts you could possibly conceive, few would be as convenient as receiving a Bluetooth speaker. Imagine having a portable-loud-music-station with you wherever you go!

It can also double up as a radio if you have an old school dad who doesn’t fully appreciate the marvel of modern technology just yet. These also come in a variety of prices - the cheapest starting at around Ksh. 1,000. Don’t expect these to last that long though

9. (Another!) Mug

There is a lot of cultural significance around mugs. If you’re really out of options - all other options on this list don’t fit - you could always get him a mug. A good mug can last for years without degrading.

This is a last-resort option, though. It will also be a pretty difficult one to pull for two consecutive years, unless you really like buying people mugs.

Conclusion

That’s it! The article is done! Go out and become a better present-giver on this glorious day.