Men’s Dress Socks Recap

17 May

men's dress socks

Socks are a pretty simple commodity items, so it’s easy to buy them from overseas factories.  However, America has a long history with sock manufacturing too.  There are old US companies, like Fox River or Crescent Sock Co., that still employ people to make socks domestically.  These socks also tend to be made of US-sourced fabrics.  I’m curious why that is though.  Maybe the companies want to use US materials for patriotic reasons.  Maybe shipping costs eliminate any savings from importing textiles, if there are any savings to be had*.  If you know or have an idea why US socks tend to use US-sourced fibers let us know in the comments below!

fox river logo smallOf the 8 socks we reviewed from 7 different companies, the most American-made with 5/5 stars are socks from Fox River Mills.  Fox River makes nearly all of their socks in Iowa, including their Everyday Men’s socks.  The company is owned by two US siblings and materials come from domestic sources**, including merino wool.

Second place is a three-way tie between socks from American Apparel, Smartwool, and FITS.  Each sock scores a 4.5/5.  All of these socks are made in America, but from all different parts.  American Apparel makes their socks in Los Angeles while Smartwool and FITS have their factories in Tennessee.  These 3 socks are made of imported materials instead of US-sourced ones, keeping them from getting a perfect score.

three gold toeGold Toe’s Basic Support Sock is made in America from some US-sourced nylon.  However, Gold Toe is a subsidiary of Gildan, a Canadian apparel company.  The Basic Support Sock scored 2/5 stars.  Not too far behind is New York based Ozone Socks.  These socks are meant to bring fashion to the world of socks, and while the company is American, all manufacturing is done overseas.  They get 1.5/5 stars.

Bringing up the rear are Dockers and the rest of Gold Toe’s socks.  These socks scored 0.5/5 stars because most of the work on these socks is done overseas.  The model Dockers uses for branding their socks is very likely the same model most brand names use when selling socks.  Companies like Nike, Gap, or even Walmart sell their own branded socks, but they most likely just buy these socks from overseas factories that have already done the design and manufacturing.

A list of the socks we covered as well as a rough average per pair price is below.

Dockers – 0.5/5 stars – $4.25/pair

Gold Toe – 0.5/5 stars – $5/pair

Ozone – 1.5/5 stars – $18/pair (full range of $10 to $35)

Gold Toe Basic Support – 2/5 stars – $12/pair

American Apparel – 4.5/5 stars – $8/pair

Smartwool – 4.5/5 stars – $13/pair

FITS – 4.5/5 stars – $16/pair

Fox River - 5/5 stars – $15/pair (full range of $7 to 19)

We hope this product category shows that there are interesting stories behind lots of products, even the lowly sock!  If you own any of these socks, let us know what you think about them in the comments below.  We’d love to hear from you!

*For a very interesting 20 minute look into the global textile marketplace, I recommend this Planet Money (one of my favorite programs) podcast on the cotton war between the US and Brazil.

**Fox River imports some of their branded socks from Korea.  I don’t imagine a developed country like South Korea doing lots of sock exports (although it’s possible since the US exports socks), so I wonder if these socks were being made at the now shutdown Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea.

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American Apparel Calf High Sock Review

14 May

american apparel sock

Product Description:

It’s impossible to talk about the American clothing industry without at least mentioning American Apparel.  The company’s success has been based on manufacturing trendy clothing in Los Angeles and selling them with hyper-sexualized ads.  The brand is well-known and you’ve probably see their flashy stores and advertisements at least once, if not daily.  With its edgy fashion combined with the CEO’s numerous scandals, American Apparel evokes a love it or hate it reaction from many people.

Surprisingly, American Apparel was started by a Canadian, Dov Charney, who is still the Chairman and CEO.  Though it was officially started in 1989, American Apparel didn’t move to their current Los Angeles headquarters until 1997. They have only grown since then.  I remember noticing that all the band T-shirts at concerts were American Apparel during the mid-2000′s.  Now, the company has over 250 stores worldwide on top of a huge online presence (but they still do band T-shirts).

FactoryThe company is very vertically integrated.  They have facilities across Southern California, including dye houses, knitting mills, and packaging spaces.  Their two main buildings in downtown LA employ over 4000 people, and there are over 7000 employees making American Apparel goods across Los Angeles.  Almost all of their products are made in these facilities.  For items they don’t make in-house, they try to partner with other US manufacturers.  These goods are sold all over America ad the world; the company sold over $150 million worth of US-made goods internationally in 2011.

American Alternative Review:

American Apparel puts a lot of emphasis on hiring and manufacturing in America, but there isn’t much from them about sourcing American textiles.  We reached out to their customer support to see if these socks are made in the US.  Their representative confirmed that the socks are dyed in-house and manufactured in their LA factory.  She was also able to confirm that the cotton, nylon, and spandex are from international sources.

American Apparel Logo

We applaud American Apparels efforts to maintain domestic manufacturing while providing their workers with living wages and benefits.  Most of the company’s products are made in the USA, including their socks. They may source their materials from US suppliers for some of their goods, but unfortunately, they don’t for their socks.

4.5/5 stars

If you don’t happen to live near one of the hundreds of American Apparel stores, you can see Calf High Sock in any of its 16 colors on the company’s Amazon store.

Smartwool Heathered Rib Socks Review

6 May

smartwool heathered rib

Product Description:

In 1994 two New England-based ski instructors named Peter and Patty Duke saw an opportunity to harness merino wool to make a new generation of performance outdoor-products.  They set up shop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and named their new company Duke Designs, Inc.

Then to market their first lines of socks, the Dukes created the ‘Smartwool’ ingredient brand to teach customers that the soft, durable, naturally-wicking, and odor-resistant merino wool in these socks was fundamentally different from the scratchy wool they were used to.

In 2002 Smartwool socks and apparel had become so well-known that Duke Designs, Inc. officially changed its name to Smartwool Corporation.  Then in 2005, the Timberland Company (based in Stratham, New Hampshire) acquired Smartwool, but kept their new subsidiary independent with its Steamboat Springs headquarters and existing management.

The socks themselves are made of 71% Merino wool, 27% Nylon, and 2% Elastane (the same thing as Spandex).  They also have a little extra padding around the heel and toe (what makes them different from the Smartwool classic rib).

American Alternative Review:

Smartwool and Timberland are both still headquartered in the US.  Smartwool also manufactures all of its Performance socks and some of its Lifestyle socks in its two US factories in Tennessee and North Carolina, and the heathered rib socks are one of the types of lifestyle socks that are made in the US.  Check out the video below to see one of their factories in action:

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zque_logoSmartwool imports all of its yarns though.  But, the largest portion of that yarn (the wool), doen’t come from just a random commodity source.  Starting in 2010, Smartwool signed a contract to use only Zque wool.  That means all of the wool in Smartwool products is certified and documented by the New Zealand Merino Company (based in Christchurch, New Zealand) to the highest standards with regards to “environmental integrity, animal welfare, social responsibility, economic sustainability, traceability.”

The wool itself used to all come from New Zealand shepherds, but as demand for Zque certified wool has grown, NZMC has expanded to Uruguay and other parts of South America.  So even though the raw materials Smartwool uses don’t come from US sources, at least they come from ethical sources.

4.5 stars

You can check them out in multiple colors and sizes here.

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Weekend Video: Smartwool socks

4 May

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been reviewing dress socks. Next week, we’ll add to the category with our review of Smartwool Heathered Rib socks.

This weekend video is a Smartwool preview showing one of the company’s two American sock-manufacturing facilities.

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