Choosing the right type of socks for a specific occasion can be head-scratching for many. Typically, what socks to go with your dress for a job interview, or what socks best suit those who need to stand long hours during the day? And what special socks are there to cater to the needs of people with diseases like diabetics and varicose veins of the leg?
Over years, apart from its original purpose for keeping warm, socks have evolved into a mufti-functional fabric piece that can be seen not only on the fashion stage, in the sports field but in the medical area as well. Funny stuff like socks with fancy or even strange icons and designs are also gaining popularity (probably people are inspired by the Christmas Father’s gift socks). Driven by necessity, we end up with so many different types of socks meeting various specific needs, some may never be heard of. Okay, Let’s dive into the sea of socks now to find out how many types of socks are out there.
Obviously, there are no agreed criteria to categorize sock types (not something worth being ISO certified at least), and I’m listing them down based on the following aspects:
1. By gender.
All socks can be tagged under male, female, and unisex (hooray, no gender discrimination at all in socks world).
2. By age.
Socks can be grouped generally for babies, kids, and adults. But don’t get surprised to see socks designed exclusively for teenagers and the elderly (here is a basic economy principle: the narrower the market positioning, the higher price of socks).
3. By Function.
Professionals choose specially designed socks for their own field. You can hardly see a man or woman wearing sports socks at their workplace or casual socks when they do sports. So, generally, we can group the socks into:
● Casual socks: people wear for their daily life;
● Business socks: those kind worn for formal occasions;
● Sports socks: designed for athletes and sports professionals, like football socks, basketball socks, training socks, cyclist socks, mountaineers socks, running socks, you name it.
● Non-slip socks Its name tells what it does, to stop socks from slipping. What makes it so special is the addition of rubber-like dots or patterns on the bottom, silicon is the popular material used for this purpose. Besides adding silicon on the sole, you can also find no-show socks with silicon-enforced heels that keep socks on the feet.
● Medical socks: there are two types of socks I’m aware of for now (I will be happy to be taught of the existence of other medical sock types): compression socks and massage socks.
It is said that compression socks can boost blood circulation by pressuring veins to push blood back to the heart smoothly, hence believed to be good for varicose veins. People also say they keep their legs from getting tired. I’m not sure about all this propaganda. It might be helpful in tackling varicose veins, but I won’t say it is the cure for it. Varicose veins happen for a reason, known or unknown by doctors, but definitely, it is not caused by not wearing compression socks. Also, there will be side effects if they are not worn properly. So, simply watch out when you deal with them.
● But there is one sort of socks that I personally feel have medical benefits: the massage socks. These socks have specific points/zones marked on the socks and based on reflexology these points/zones are reflections of different organs, glands, and parts of the body on the feet. By stimulating these reflex points/zone, the socks work on the whole body. To some extent, it works like acupuncture, though based on different theories.
● Socks for sweaty feet: There is nothing more embarrassing than a pair of suffocating stinking feet anywhere you go. Fortunately, there are socks made with the addition of special elements that wick moisture and dispel odors. Graphene carbon sock is one of the best to keep the odor at bay.
● Fashion/novelty socks: it more or less has to do with people trying to express their unique characters, sense of style, and pursuit of beauty. These socks have images and icons that can’t be seen on normal patterned socks. Creative, funny, bold, wild, and bright colors are the main themes of such socks.
● Heated socks: Plenty of people, especially females, have ice cold feet in cold weather, and quite possibly when one has cold feet they also have cold hands. In this case, heated socks can be a savior for them from being an Icy Beauty. You may find two types of heated socks out there: tourmaline heated socks and battery-powered heating socks. The great thing you will experience with these socks is that when your feet warm up so do your hands.
● Toe socks: also called glove socks, it differentiates normal socks by dividing the toe into five toes that encase the toe fingers separately. Though a bit strange on first look, toe socks are said to have outstanding anti-bacteria and moisture-wicking features.
So, we might be able to put a full stop to the types of socks grouped based on their functions.
4. By season:
Normally, for different seasons of the year, you will wear different thickness socks. Like in the hot sweating summer season you will pick up the thin, breathable, and moisture wicking socks from the sock drawers; while for cold winter days the thick warm socks will be your choice, if not otherwise.
5. By Length
In terms of sock length, you will find the following types:
● No-Show Socks
● Ankle Socks.
● Crew Length Socks.
● Mid-Calf Length Socks.
● Knee High Socks.
● Over-the-Knee Socks.
● Thigh High Socks
● Pantyhose and tights are made by the same manufacturers that make socks, though not really considered as socks.
6. By material
Broadly, there are three major sources of raw materials most socks are made of:
● Vegetable: cotton, bamboo, flax, hemp, soybean, etc.
● Animal: wool, silk.
● Synthetics: polyester, nylon, polyamide, etc.
Here is a quick look at what socks might be made of what materials:
Most casual socks are made of vegetable fibers, with cotton the majority.
Sports socks are mainly made from synthetic fibers due to their advantage of elasticity.
For best warm-keeping socks wool will be the top choice, of course at a higher price.
7. By production techniques
Industry socks are knitted by machines, surely there are still few people hand-make their socks even today. To meet people’s requirement of fancy sock designs, different techniques are used:
● Jacquard Knit Socks: a traditional way of producing socks with few colors and simple patterns by knitting out such design elements when the socks are being fabricated.
● Dye Sublimated Socks: If a design involves multiple colors and complicated graphics, then jacquard knitting won’t suffice. Dye sublimation is done through the heat transfer printing process: a pre-printed transfer paper carrying the design is placed on a pair of solid white socks, pressed by a heat printer the design on the transfer paper is transferred to the socks.
● 360 degrees Printed Socks: Thanks to the advancement of digital printing technology, the sock design is printed onto the blank socks that are fixed on a rotating sleeve of the digital printer.
Jacquard Knit Socks
Dye Sublimated Socks
Printed Socks
Difference between the three techniques?
Jacquard knit is done the same time the sock is being knitted while the other two are done on a finished blank sock. Dye sublimation is a transfer copying method while printed socks are done by direct printing.
By now, I believe most of the sock types on the market are covered. In case any socks are left out, I’d love to be posted so as to make this article a complete one that covers all the types of socks.