Why we won’t shut up about our bamboo socks

For those of you who are new to Socksmith, yes, we do make socks out of eco-friendly bamboo. Haven’t heard of bamboo material yet? Or perhaps you’re familiar with the softer-than cashmere feel of our bamboo socks but haven’t yet deeply researched bamboo fabric yet?  Well then, gird your loins and prepare to be introduced to one of the most magnificent and sustainable materials out there on the modern market!

Bamboo to the rescue

Although cotton and blends top the sock market, there has been a shift in recent years leaning to bamboo as an alternative. Why? Well, when Socksmith founders Eric and Ellen came across a pair of bamboo socks for the first time, they were shocked at how soft they were. The comfort level can’t be beat, due in part at least to bamboo’s hollow fiber, filled with micro gaps and micro holes. This makes the fabric extremely breathable and keeps your feet dry by wicking moisture away. Even if your feet aren’t weirdly moist, this also means bamboo socks dry super-fast and are great at thermoregulation, which means feet stay cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather. Another bonus? They’re practically static free! They’re also wrinkle resistant, so say goodbye to all those late nights of tedious sock ironing.

After our founders Eric and Ellen picked their jaws up off the floor and quieted the singing of angels that had strangely started upon picking up this magical pair of bamboo socks, they decided to research the material. Lo and behold, they were equally shocked at its low environmental impact. This is a big deal, as Eric and Ellen are very difficult to shock, and here we have a panda’s lunch putting them in this rarefied state twice. 

The plant itself is its own wonder, with these environmental benefits to its name:

• The bamboo plant is self-propagating (no need to replant year after year like cotton) and has antimicrobial properties that eliminates any need for pesticide. It’s seldom eaten by insects or bothered by bacteria. Are we saying you should lose the toothbrush and start scrubbing your pearly whites with bamboo every morning and night instead? Of course not, we don’t know dentistry as the teeth are very far from the feet.
• It produces almost 35% more oxygen than trees. A plot of bamboo, by this logic, would therefore do more for the earth than a plot of cotton. Be right back, filling my backyard with bamboo plants.
• Bamboo’s shallow root system prevents soil erosion and enriches it with carbon. It is also a pro at filtering gray water (water contaminated with human waste or is otherwise “dirty”). Wineries in France are actually using bamboo to treat and recycle their gray water. Plus it has very low water needs.
• It is also a source of food (and beer, which is like food but happier) and is a building material with a stronger tensile strength by weight than steel. 
• Talk about renewable and sustainable – you never have to fully harvest the plant and it grows like crazy, reaching full height in three months and harvestable thickness in just a few years. 
• OEKO-TEK Standard 100 tests for regulated and non-regulated substances suspected of being dangerous to human health. Every pair of our bamboo socks is OEKO-TEK Standard 100 certified, meaning there are no harmful chemicals present by the time you put them on.

Ready to slap some heavenly gigantic tube grass-based socks on your hoofers? Browse away, ladies and gents!