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Solespun Black Label Cashmere Socks
A little History First
This, the most luxurious of wools is derived from the fine luscious undercoat fibres of the cashmere goat. It is indigenous to the Himalayan regions of Kashmir, Nepal and Mongolia. It is the dramatic fluctuations in temperature throughout the year rising to above 40c in the summer and dropping below -40c in the winter which helps the goats grow their beautifully downy under-fleese. Traditional the fibres are harvested by hand by combing the neck and underbelly when they are moulting preparing for the summer temperatures.
The fibres of pure cashmere must not exceed 19 microns, with the most luxurious having a 14 microns diameter with 65mm staple (Length). To be labeled as “pure cashmere” the hair content, as opposed to the undercoat, must not exceed 3% and even then the fibres must not exceed 30 microns.
Cashmere is cited to be anywhere from three and a half times to eight times more insulating than sheep’s wool. This is partly due to the fineness of the fibre and also because it is one of the only hollow natural fibres in the world, both of these things allow it to trap air and warmth.
Solespun Black Label Cashmere Socks | Review
Unless you have owned a pair of cashmere socks in the past you may well find the thought of paying just shy of £60 for a pair of socks more than a little peculiar, and perhaps even frivolous that one can pay up to a couple of hundred pounds for certain brands, so what is it about the Solespun Black Label cashmere socks that I can say to assure you of your investment.
Heritage
Made in Scotland by the worlds renowned cashmere specialist Johnstons of Elgin whom’s traditional skills have been passed down for over two hundred years and through many generations. Johnstons of Elgin only use the very finest responsibly sourced cashmere and are regarded as one of the worlds finest cashmere crafts people.
The yarn
As discussed in geeky fashion above the cashmere fibre is a particularly long and fine fibre by nature making an extremely soft and smooth luxury yarn that does not irritate the skin, in fact mother nature went through a quite a long spell of research and development to make this so, allowing it to sit comfortably next to the skin of the lucky cashmere goat leaving the tougher fibres on the outside to protect from the elements, this together with its temperature regulating properties, naturally antimicrobial qualities and we can see why cashmere is the king of close to the skin luxurious fibres! approved by no less than mother nature herself!
You may have see Cashmere socks often come blended with other yarns, sometimes this is to bring costs down or the durability up.
The Solespun Cashmere socks contain 15% nylon which may not sound the most glamorous of materials however this nylon is used to create a skeleton of sorts for the cashmere to be woven around, it’s this skeleton that gives the socks their durability, with out it the soft cashmere fibres would come un-woven in time and your beautiful cashmere socks come apart. It has no impact on the quality or feel of the cashmere itself and on a garment such as a sock it really is required, if only using socks as a bed sock you could forgo this however I believe its an essential component of a hight quality sock.
The Environment
Solespun cashmere socks are made to the higest enviromental, animal welfare and social economical standards, sourcing the finest, highest quality cashmere and wool from around the world, we use traditional manufacturing processes, which are as gentle with the environment as they are with our delicate fibres. We know exactly how each process is carried out because it is done in-house in Scotland under the specialist care of Johnstones of Elgin.
Fibres are selected close to the desired end colour, minimising bleaching and dyeing. In addition to the immediate environmental impact of bleaching, it can be extremely damaging to fibres. Avoiding this is one of the many ways we can produce softer finished products with a longer life expectancy.
How long will they last
Which bring us to our brings next question, how long will my cashmere socks last, while its fair to say under normal conditions they would not be a durable as something like a cotton sock it is unlikely you will wear them in the same way, if you wear with care they should last you a few good years depending on how much you use them, I like to think of this a bit like tyres in formula one (if this is your thing) while a hard compound tyre will last longer its at the expense of grip and while a soft compound will give you the grip to keep you on track its not going to last as long. With the luscious soft cashmere socks you will have a luxury experience like no other, they may not last as long as their non cashmere counter parts however the feeling you have while they are with you is one to be savoured.
Looking after Cashmere Socks.
Unless you are the kind of person whom can pay someone to wash there socks, you will need to follow the simples rules of looking after them,
Firstly, another one of the joys of cashmere socks is that you really do not need to wash them after every wear in fact I recommend you do not, because they breath well and are naturally anti bacterial a simple turning them inside out a little shake and airing will often suffice! this may sound odd however trust me. Looked after a good quality pair of cashmere socks like these actually get softer as you wear and wash them.
When you do need to launder them however hand washing is best, in cool water and lay them flat on a towel to dry,
If you feel the need to put them in the washing machine ( please accept this will shorten their life ) then do so on a cool wool wash and in a washing bag.
Under no circumstances put them in the tumble dryer, it will kill them quicker than putting a kitten in a kiln! if you do so you would be better of putting your money on the fire it will last longer!
So as you can see a lot goes into making these a truly luxurious experience, I personally adore wearing mine in a pair of good trainers, the softness of the socks combined with the comfort of the trainer! Its true bliss:)