Cotton is the most well-known natural raw material. Socks made of cotton are soft and comfortable, moisture absorbing and breathable, and long-term wear is conducive to foot health. Before the invention of chemical fiber, cotton socks dominated the world for a long time. With the application of chemical fiber materials in clothing, cotton socks were almost replaced by nylon socks overnight. Since the 21st century, with the popularization of the concept of healthy life, people pay more attention to natural fibers when choosing clothing materials. In the “pure cotton era”, people began to wear cotton socks again. Of course, there are many reasons for the ups and downs in the history of cotton socks:
The early cotton textile technology and sock weaving technology were relatively backward, and the cotton varieties were not very good. The fibers were short and thick, and the cotton socks woven had many shortcomings: first, they were not wear-resistant, and the thinner they were washed, the thicker the yarn was, the more painful the soles of people’s feet were often worn; Secondly, cotton socks have poor elasticity, which makes them loose; In addition, the dyeing technology of early cotton was backward, and most of the cotton socks were natural gray white, so there was little choice.
After nylon is applied to the hosiery industry, its comparative advantages become very prominent: first, nylon is very wear-resistant, almost the most wear-resistant fiber; Secondly, nylon has good dyeing performance and bright colors, especially for women and children; Not only that, nylon also has a certain elasticity, and socks fit better. In this way, nylon socks that are wear-resistant, good-looking and fit well became the first choice of people in the 1980s and 1990s.
The cotton socks in the “pure cotton era” are fundamentally different from the original ones: the application of long staple cotton makes cotton socks more comfortable, combing, singeing, mercerizing and other processes make cotton overcome the shortcomings of being difficult to dye and wear-resistant. In addition, modern cotton socks also use various chemical fibers to improve their functionality, such as adding “Coolmax” to enhance the moisture absorption and perspiration function, adding “Lycra” to enhance the elasticity of socks, and adding nylon to enhance the wear resistance. People’s wearing habits of cotton socks have also changed from simple cold protection to more emphasis on comfort, function and Etiquette:
When exercising, people like to wear elastic cotton socks containing spandex; When you travel long distances, you’d better choose Coolmax cotton socks with the function of moisture absorption and perspiration; At home, beautiful and comfortable thick cotton socks have become girls’ favorite; When men go to work, they need to match professional mercerized cotton business socks. Correspondingly, the rich variety of cotton socks also corresponds to different prices: there are blended cotton socks of 10 yuan and 3 pairs on the stall, combed cotton of 8-15 yuan per pair is everywhere in the supermarket, and the prices of high-end mercerized cotton business socks in the mall range from more than 30-100 yuan, and the most expensive x-socks brand functional cotton socks are as high as more than 300 yuan per pair.
how to choose a pair of cotton socks that are suitable for you? The following is a little common sense of cotton sock Technology:
Ordinary cotton socks: cotton yarn made of ordinary short staple cotton as raw material, without special process treatment, is mixed with nylon and polyester yarn to weave socks, and the cotton content is generally below 50%. Because of the low cost, the general price is low. If it is a brand sports sock, it is another matter. Because the sports sock is thick and the added functional fiber is special, the price is not low.
Combed cotton socks: generally, short staple cotton (a few are long staple cotton) is used as raw material. During the spinning process, the impurities on the surface of cotton fiber are removed by a comber to make combed cotton yarn, and then woven into socks with polyester or nylon. The cotton content is generally about 60%. Combed cotton socks are softer and more comfortable than ordinary cotton socks.
Mercerized cotton socks: using long staple cotton as raw material, mercerized cotton yarn is made by combing, singeing, mercerizing, twisting and dyeing, and then blended with lycra and new nylon. Mercerized cotton socks generally contain about 70% cotton, which is mainly used for men’s business socks due to its high cost.
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