What happened to your socks
They don’t make them like they used to. Or, more accurately, they can’t make them like they used to. As production shifts, knowledge and skills often stay behind. And in the case of sock manufacturing, so does the machinery. In traditional sock making regions, like Nara prefecture in Japan, the sock making industry is disappearing as a result of mass-produced low-cost socks. Old factories close down, and the knowledge and skills required to operate the traditional machines are lost.
As Amanda Mull in a recent article in The Atlantic1 explains it: “As the sheer quantity of clothing available to the average American has grown over the past few decades, everything feels at least a little bit flimsier than it used to. Seams unravel after a couple of washes, garments lose their shape more quickly, shoes have to be replaced more frequently. The situation might be the worst in knitwear. Good sweaters, gloves, beanies, and scarves are all but gone from mass-market retailers. The options that have replaced them lose their fluff faster, feel fake, and either keep their wearers too hot or let the winter wind whip right through them. Sometimes they even smell like plastic.”
Add socks to that list. Though part of fashion, like most items of clothing socks are also functional - keeping your feet comfortable (dry, not too hot or cold) and providing a comfortable layer between your shoes and your feet. Every step you take is either enhanced or diminished by the quality of your socks. What makes a sock right for your feet is the fit, the knit and the material.
Wool fibres are both hygroscopic and hydrophobic, which allows them to draw moisture to their centre and leave the surface dry. This is how a wool sock keeps you dry and warm. Hemp is a natural moisture-wicking material, making it quick to dry and keeping your feet feeling fresh. Fabric made from hemp is hypoallergenic, keeping your feet odour free, and is exceedingly durable.
The knitting is done at low speed to avoid putting stress on the yarn, and the machine carefully creates hooks and air to make a thick, firm fabric. After the sock has been knit, pressure and steam are applied to shape it while keeping it soft and full.
As per the same The Atlantic article: “Knitting, in particular, is highly skilled labor, even at its cheapest. For genuinely impressive detailing and finishing, manufacturers need to pay up for highly experienced workers. When manufacturers forgo those costs, designs get simpler - they get boring. And when demand for that kind of skilled labor craters, those skills aren’t passed to new workers, and they eventually wash out of the labor force. The same thing happens in production of the raw materials necessary to make a better-quality garment. Eventually, even if your company wants to produce something nice, durable, and well-made, your ability to do so at all - let alone at a price that anyone will pay - is greatly reduced.”
Monotone socks are made on vintage knitting machines that have been passed on from generation to generation, including a low gauge double cylinder machine that is no longer available in modern Japan. These machines are rare, as is the skilled labor that they require, and as a result modern mass-production is no longer able to create these kinds of socks. We're fortunate to be able to work with these makers, to keep creating socks of a quality and level of comfort that is hard to come by anymore.
Browse our socks online or get in touch if you have any questions.
1. Your Sweaters Are Garbage, The Atlantic, 10 Oct 2023
