The May Hosiery Mill is a family-owned enterprise that was built up in the 1930s. The mill has since seen multiple booms and busts, surfed changing fashion trends, and even had a brush with history (including outfitting every Apollo astronaut). Its current waste is proudly less than 2%.
The hosiery boards are then rolled into what looks like a big steam oven, the Stocking Setting Machine. Here the socks are exposed to steams at a constant temperature and pressure, which helps them dry quickly. This also makes the socks soft and helps avoid any deformities in length, trimmings, interlocking etc.
Once the socks are dried, they’re paired up and passed on to be private labeled. This process requires a great deal of coordination, so it’s important to work with your manufacturer to establish a production timeline that ensures you meet your shipment deadlines.
It is advisable to ask your factory for samples or prototypes before making a bulk order. This will allow you to assess the quality of your new product and identify any potential issues before mass production begins. You can also use this opportunity to discuss shipping logistics and determine whether or not the factory will be able to produce the custom packaging that you need for your brand.
Most sock factories with less than 200 machines will outsource some parts of their production line. It’s better to choose a factory that can do all the steps in-house, which will help keep quality high and prevent delays in production. socks factory