History of socks

The modern English word sock comes from the Old English word socc, that means”light slipper”. This same word comes from the Latin soccus, a term used to describe a “light, low-heeled shoe” worn by Roman comic actors,and deriving from the Ancient Greek word sykchos.

Like all clothing, socks are a part of the human’s wardrobe for a very long time;  2000 years ago to be exact. The need for humans to cover their feet goes back as far as Ancient Greek, in 800 B.C., where men were tying up matted animal skin to their ankle to be warm. Romans followed the tradition by tying up leather or woven fabric around their feet.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, by the 5th century AD, then called “puttees”, socks were considered a symbol of purity and was only worn by the clergy in Europe. By the year 1000, socks have become a symbol of wealth among the royalty and nobility. By the end of Middle Ages, in the 16th century, an ornamental design called a “clock” was added on the ankle or on the side of the sock.

By 1589, the first knitting machine was invented in England, by William Lee. Therefore, it accelerated the knitting process; they were six times faster than when they were knitted by hand. However, hand knitting and machines worked side by side until the 1800’s.

With the Industrial Revolution in the middle of the 18th century, socks were massively produced, were more accessible to the people, but still very expensive. In 1938, Nylon was invented and revolutionized the socks’ world were they were made of silk, cotton, and wool.

Team Custom Socks joined the sock-making industry and has followed in the path of history for producing socks. So take part in history with your own custom socks.

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8 things you didn’t know about our custom socks

You think you know everything about our custom socks? We beg to differ! Find out 8 things you did not know about our custom socks and Team Custom Socks.

#1 Our Athletic Socks are High-Performance

High-performance athletic socks provide extra padding in key areas to protect against shoe irritation. They also provide areas of compression to allow a greater range of motion for the foot. These nice thick socks also absorb moisture, preventing foot odor and fungus.

#2 Customizable in four different ways

When you create your own custom socks at Team Custom Socks, you have full design control. You start by selecting the style of the sock — knee-high, anklet, athletic, etc. Depending on which style you select, you choose the color, and the style on the socks. As the final personalized touch, add sewn-in text or a logo!

#3 Made in the USA

All Team Custom Socks socks are proudly made in the USA. Every step of the sock-making process takes place in a local, 25,000 square feet facility. From baseball to football to weight lifting, we’ve made customized socks for many different types of athletics across the United States.

#4 High-Quality Thread

Throughout the years, we have tried many kinds of thread and have worked to find something ideal for long-lasting socks. Nylon is intended to act as a second skin to protect against rubbing and blisters. In fact, some infantrymen wear them underneath their regular socks as a layer of protection, according to Stars and Stripes.

Acrylic material provides more cushion and moves sweat away from the foot and onto the shoe surface, rather than simply absorbing it. In comparison to cotton socks, acrylic socks are best at eliminating moisture and preventing blisters, according to a study done at the University of Southern California.

#6 Family-Owned Business

As a family-owned business, we are fortunate enough to work closely with many family members on a daily basis. Together, everyone is committed to the business and providing the best products to our customers. Each member of the team has a passion for creating socks and brings an interesting knowledge set to the company. Many sock machine operators can even tell which part of the machine is stitching simply by listening to the machine operate.

#7 Personalized Care
From start to finish, Team Custom Socks is there to help during your entire sock-making process. During the first phase of the process, a representative is there to speak with you to fully understand your design wishes. Your sock art is then hand-created, and Team Custom Socks works personally with each customer to ensure everything is perfect before creating and shipping socks. Each sock is carefully inspected during each step of the process and will not be sent out unless it’s perfectly stitched.

#8 Industry-Low Prices and Lowest Turnaround Time

Along with all the many benefits of our custom socks, you’ll also receive them at industry-low pricing and the quickest turnaround time. Because they’re made in the USA, and we have employees that genuinely care about each sock they make, we’re able to perfectly craft the socks you designed and send them out in the quickest possible time. Our prices are virtually unbeatable, and orders of 100+ receive an even greater discount.

We would love to create the perfect socks for your team or group.

Contact Team Custom Socks today to get your own custom-designed socks.

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Ideas for personalized and custom Socks

What makes Team Custom Socks’ custom socks so special?

The fact that we can custom design anything on them! The sky is the limit. If you can think it, we can make it. Quickly becoming the hottest new thing in foot accessories, Team Custom Socks’ customers are having lots of fun coming up with great new ideas for custom socks. And we love seeing what everyone comes up with! There is nothing you can’t do on your favorite pair of socks. Whether you want funky, colorful design for your socks or plain socks for wholesale, our design team is there to help you!

  1. Add a photo with a personal message
  2. Customize your socks with any image you want
  3. Corporate socks with company logo
  4. Costume socks for events
  5. Personalized Initials, monograms
  6. Get them for Sororities, Clubs, Team Socks, and Community groups

Whether you need custom photo socks, personalized socks or just blank socks with no design for wholesale purposes, we have exactly what you need. Shown above are great examples of how we can make just about anything on our custom knitted socks.

Some designs were created from our original design collection while others were uploaded by our customers. Be inspired and create your personalized socks now!

Ready to order? Let’s get started with your custom sock design

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Best materials for quality running socks

When it comes to running, whether you are a professional or amateur runner, having the right equipment can make a difference between a great run and and a poor one. Here are a few tips and tricks for all the runners out there that are searching for the best running socks.

 

Why do I need high-quality running socks ?

Having high-quality running socks made with the proper materials will manage moisture, protect your feet from shoe abrasion, and depending of cushioning, absorbs shock. In order to create a comfortable and dry environment for your feet while running, choosing the right materials for your running socks is most important.

 

Keep the cheap cotton socks away!

You think you are making a good thing by buying 100 % cotton socks for 15$ for 3 pairs? You could not be more wrong. Cotton tends to retain moisture and heat against your skin; combining these two with friction can be a “deadly” mix! It creates the perfect environment for blisters, infection and the infamous athlete’s foot!

 

Synthetic fabrics are the best!

For the perfect running socks, look for synthetic fibers and blends like : Nylon, Lycra, Spandex or, the most famous of them all, CoolMax. They all have amazing moisture wicking features and are hydrophobic : they wick the moisture outside the socks to maximize evaporation. This process keeps your feet dry, healthy and fresh.

 

Keep it natural!

Two of the best natural fibers for running socks are Merino wool and Bamboo. Also called SmartWool, Merino Wool is a very fine fiber, often combined with Lycra and Spandex, for a improved elasticity and better fitting. Wool also has incredible thermoregulation features as well as anti-microbial. If you enjoy running in colder weather during fall and winter, this is the perfect running sock for you. Bamboo fiber is not only eco-friendly; it produces a fiber with soft yet extremely strong finish. Like CoolMax, it has amazing moisture wicking properties,but also is naturally antibacterial; it will protect your feet from blisters and athlete’s foot and will be very resistant to tears and friction.
If you are looking for the perfect high-quality socks, don’t be afraid to go in a specialized store for running wear, shoes and socks alike. They will be able to advise you on what type of fabric you should get according to your needs, budget and personal tastes.

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Impact of quality socks on sport performances

Like the shoes, high-quality socks are of utmost importance of a running athlete equipment.

A well-chosen sock offers protection, cushioning and properly distributes the pressures of the shoe onto the foot. They are also made to wick the moisture of the foot to keep it dry and healthy. A high level of humidity on your foot can do a lot of damage; cotton socks tend to keep the humidity and soaking your feet.

 

If you exercise for more than 30 minutes, look for a sock made of material that have an excellent moisture wicking and thermoregulation, to keep your feet dry and healthy. Unfortunately, cotton tends to retain moisture extremely well, often causing blisters and discomfort for the athlete. When looking for sports socks, make sure you pick synthetic fibers like CoolMax®, made of hydrophilic material, that can easily wick moisture away from your foot. Not only will you be more comfortable, but your quality socks will keep their shape and last longer than the average cheap cotton socks.

 

Wicking Moisture : Keeping your feet dry and healthy

Now that we have cleared the case of the cotton, let’s talk about the importance of wicking moisture away from your feet. A wicking fiber like CoolMax or Bamboo allows the moisture or perspiration to be transferred from your feet to the outside of the shoe by passing through a porous barrier. Quality socks also have breathable nylon mesh that allows water vapor to move through it.

 

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Whether you are a professional or amateur athlete, you have suffered at least once in your life from one of the feet “illnesses” : blisters, corns, irritations, infections and the infamous Tinea Pedis or “athlete’s foot”. These common infections are often caused by a cheap quality socks made with, you’ll guess it, cotton. By choosing high-quality socks with adapted fibers like Bamboo that has this amazing antibacterial feature, not only will the practice of your favorite sport will be pleasant, but your performance will improve only by having healthy, dry and clean feet.

 

Adapted Materials

One of the most common fibers used to create high-quality socks for athlete is CoolMax®. First, CoolMax fabrics pulls the moisture away from your skin; it absorbs and spreads moisture out across fabric to improve evaporative drying rate. Bamboo fiber has also become increasingly popular, considering its exceptional antibacterial and moisture wicking features. It also has a strong yet soft finish.

 

You also need to know that natural fiber tend to swell more than synthetic fibers.Cotton swells 45%, wool swells about 35% while acrylic will only swell about 5%. Cotton is more than 2 times resistant to the flow of moisture. One last thing about CoolMax is that it is considered as shrink resistant and the fastest drying material

 

Cuff Height : That is the question…

Choose the cuff height often rests on personal taste and needs. Runners tends to choose a low-cut cuff (covers the foot only), when Soccer and Baseball players tends to look for calf socks. However, crew socks are used in Running, Golf, Tennis and Football.

 

Ask a specialist !

When shopping for quality sports socks, look for any specialised sportswear store in your area. You will find quality socks that will last longer and can ask the staff for the socks that will not only be comfortable, but will improve your performance!

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