Factory visit: socks made in France

Cotton, linen, silk, or alpaca, everything starts with very well-organized cones of threads. Depending on the blend of fabrics, color combinations, and pattern intricacy, a single machine can hold up to 15 different cones. The knitting machine is equipped with a cylinder surrounded by 72 to 200 knitting needles. After the machine is threaded, the yarn is fed into it and knitted around the cylinder. If the design of the socks includes a pattern such as stripes or a logo, the upper part of the machine cuts the excess threads from the inside to prevent tangling. The socks come out as seamless finished tubes, with the toe seam left open.

Because the toe line is left open when coming off the knitting machine, socks need to be re-meshed. To start the process, the socks are placed one by one on a vacuum tube and turned inside out. This allows for the toe line to be sawed from the inside out. The sewing of the toes is done manually, with each sock placed on a sewing machine precisely where the toe-line meets. During this process, the excess fabric is trimmed off just as the machine joins the two parts together, creating a nearly invisible seam.

Socks are knit much bigger than the final size. In order to get their correct shape, the freshly re-meshed socks are turned inside out once again before being pulled one by one on metal plates shaped like feet. The socks are then steam-pressed at a temperature of 130 C° and a pressure of 2.5 bars, shaping the socks into their final flat and neat form. Once they come out of the steam bath, the machine automatically removes them from the plates and neatly organizes them on a rolling mat, ready for pairing and quality control.

It's important to match socks correctly to ensure they form a pair. Even though they're made from the same machine and yarn, there might be slight differences between two socks. Therefore, each sock is checked and measured carefully before being paired with its sister. If the design of the socks is mirrored— like when the socks features a Bellerose logo on the ankle— the socks are matched left and right to guarantee a perfect pair, and if minor flaws are detected, they are set aside.

Last but not least, paired socks are sent to packaging. A single stitch links the socks together, with the size and care tag attached to one edge. We like to use a red thread for stitching, which makes our socks easy to spot. You might have noticed that some pairs have different care instructions, but that's just because we want to make sure each pair is treated with the care it deserves. Finally, once inventory is complete, the socks are boxed and ready to be shipped to us.

At the mill, employees work in shifts while the machines operate round the clock. You can hear the sound of the cylinder needles at all hours, and there's always a faint mist of fabric dust and particles floating in the air. In total, it takes up to two hours to finish just one pair of socks as they go from machine to machine and hand to hand.

It's easy to overlook the effort that goes into making these everyday items when pulling them on in the morning. Still, after visiting this sock factory, we gained a new appreciation for these everyday essentials.