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eemingly the most
verlooked
ounterpart &
ey accesory to your
tyle!
S
O
C
K
S
Socks have Inevitably been around Longer than we Care to Remember,
And even though we See & Use Socks seemingly Everyday how much do we Really know about & Appreciate our Lovely Soles Mate?
Well to Truly Appreciate Anything its Good to First know the History of it.
Sooo quick History Lesson…
Can Anyone
Tell me
When
the First
Sock was Invented?…
Probably not.
And thats a Great Place to Start.
So, lets Grab our Coolest Comfiest Socks & Travel back in Time to where it all Began!
Where it All Began
"The Stone Ages"
The First Clues of a Socks Existence could be Traced Waaaaay back to 5000 B.C. .
Although theres no Physical Sock to Examine from Way Back then,
the Earliest Information about Socks
is from Prehistoric Paintings & Archeological Finds
which Conclude
that they were Made of
Animal Skins & Pelts,
in which they
Tied around their Ankles.
.
Now Imagine
Wearing only those
on the Chilliest
Day of the Year
(Yikes)!
Lets Fast Forward a Few Thousand Years to….
"The Philosy Of Piloi"
The 8th Century in Ancient Greece
The History of Socks in Greece can be Traced Back over 2,700 Years Ago ( Woooow) in Ancient Greece to a Poet & Shepherd Named Hesoid (hee·see•uhd).
Ancient Greek Philospher
'Hesiod'
In Hesoid’s Poem "Days and Works" Hesoid would Advise his Brother Peris that he Should cover his feet with "Piloi" (a cloth made of Matted Animal Hair) before Putting on His Sandals to Protect Against the Harsh Colder Climates.
Well lets
“Rome”
some More!
Later in the 2nd Century A.D. Romans Would Adopt that same Idea, but instead Wrap their Feet in Strips of Leather & Woven Fabric (Now we know Where Nike Got that Idea).
Ancient Roman
Headwrap
crocheted using
Sprang Work Method
The Romans Would then Move on to Use a Version of Crocheting called the “Sprang” Work Method.
Ancient Roman
'Udone'
in a Roman Sandal
With this Technique the Romans started Crocheting Pieces of Wool Fabric together They would call “Udones”.
Udones were
Softer & more Contoured
than their Predecessors.
They are the first socks
to resemble what we are
wearing today.
Lets Not Forget about The Ancient Egyptians
Around the same time that the Udones Hit the Roman Streets The Egyptians Also Released their Own Version Into the Sock Game.
The Egyptians Used a Knitting Technique called “Naalbindning” to make their Socks & was the First to do so.
Ancient Egyptian Socks
made using
NaalBinging Technique
Although we Don’t Know if the Egyptians Ever Named their Sock Design they did give them A Unique Look and Functionality by Having Splits between the Toes they would be Easily Worn with Sandals
( Can anyone say Time for a Patent).
And Boom Like That Ladies & Gentleman we Have the Ancestors of our Socks Today.
• We UnEarthed Clues of What the Stone Aged Caveman Socks Must’ve Looked Like.
• Followed by a Poem from Hesoid in Greece that Employed Piloi as a Great Foot Warmer,
• The Romans Advanced that Idea by First using Strips Of Leather & Fabric on their Feet, then Evolving Into a Crocheted Sock of Wool Called “Udone”.
• All the While the Egyptians Had Created A Knitted Styled Sock That could be The Ancestor to the Japanese Tabi Sock.
So you must be Wondering How did we Get to the Dope Socks of Today?
Well thats Easy...
Hold on to your Britches we just have to take a Final Short Trip through Europe First.
Europeans Adopted the New Sock Craze right around the 5th Century A.D. .
Made from Cloth Covering only the Ankle to Bottom Knee Puttees (Named Symbolically for “Purity”) were First Dawned by the Holiest of Europe.
Although, Holy in Origin It didn’t take Long for Things to Jazz up a Bit.
With Trousers Becoming Longer, Puttees were made more Luminous in Color & Tighter in Fit although Still Requiring Garters to Stay Up
( Elasticity Me Pleassssssee & Thank you).
By the Year 1000 “Britches” had taken the Place of Puttees & Were The Status Symbol!
Conversely with The Popularity of Britches, Trousers Became Shorter (Again) w/ Britches ( now Resembling Leggings) Becoming Longer, Knitted or Woven & EXPENSIVE
In the 12 Century these Monumental things Happened.
• A Foot Part was Added to our Britches (Leggings).
• Although not as Fancy, Working Class Citizens Fashioned their own Homemade Britches.
By the
15th Century the Italian & French Had Entered the Sock Business making High Quality Knitted Silk Stockings that were not only Flexible but Showed off those Hard Earned Calf n Thigh Muscles (lol).
Europeans
then took things to a whole New Level By Combining the ideals of Britches & Stockings making a New Fashion Wave called “Tights”.
Tights
were a Smooth Knitted Blend of Colorful Silks, Wools, & Velvets in which each Leg would Always Be a Different Color (Talk about Mix n Matching Designers lol).
Then a
"Love Connection"
Changed How Socks Would be made FOREVER!
As the story Commences Clergyman William Lee was Dating a Young Lady who Gave More of Her Time to Knitting than To William.
This Led the True Tactful Casanova in Will to Think of a way where He Could Gain More Time w/ His Leading Lady w/o Disrupting Her Passion.
!!BooM!!
Ladies & Gents we Have the First Knitting Machine Invented in 1589 by Willie Lee “The Loverman”.
The First Ever
Knitting Machine
Needless to say
William Got his Lady
Plus 1 !
Although First Disapproved by England’s Queen Because of the Said Woolen Ruff Feel of the Fabric, But more So the Fear of Rendering Hand Knitters Jobless,
William Found Love Again with France Who funded the expansion of his Knitting Machine leading to.
• The First Knitting Factory Being Created
• Socks Being made Easier & Cheaper in many different Lengths, Colors, Designs w/ Cool Embroideries.
In the 17th Century Pants (Again) Became Longer w/ Socks getting Shorter.
At this Point they Evolved from Being known as “Tights” & began to Take on the Name we all know & Love “Socks”
Derived from the word "Soccus".
Socks took another Reinvention in 1938 with the Creation of
Nylon!
Various Combinations of Synthetics, Nylons, Cottons, Acrylics, Polyester, Spandex, Silk, Cashmere & Even Bamboo (Dope!)
Led Socks to Being Very Comfortable, Durable & Most Importantly Stylish
!!Whew!!
There we Have It
The History of Socks!
In Hindsight You can now see Socks Have Been a Valuable Entity To Our Worlds Humanity.
Socks Keep Our Feet Safe,
While Feeling & Looking Good,
Warm or Cool,
at Work or Play.
Your Socks
Can tell a lot
about you
without Ever
Saying a Word.
They Allow Us
to Give
an Expression of Who we are, Where We’ve been,
or Are Soon to Go.
So whenever your Feet Are
Feeling Lonely
just Remember Every
Sole Deserves A
Mate!
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