We were lucky enough to have excellent weather in Scotland for the bank holiday weekend. We were basking in the sunshine and I have to say, I even took my socks off. That can be unusual here on the edge of the Scottish highlands, as we are often a good few degrees cooler than London.
The wearing or not wearing of socks really is one of those things that can immediately cool you down or warm you up. With our heating off in the last few weeks I have reached for my bed socks in the evening in order to warm up. With energy prices being where they are, it feels good to have the heating off and to light the fire and wear bed socks. In Scotland, given that we are further north, the light stays with us for longer, making longer evenings and glorious dusks. I love that time of the day. The light is incredibly special and I pop out into the garden at 9.30 or 10pm to find the ducks waddling around and I usher them into their bed. We are lucky enough to have a garden with views out to the hills and it can provide an unexpectedly joyful moment, just stepping out into the cool air, breathing in and looking to the hills. Whatever stresses the day might have brought seem to evaporate into the garden.
Now is the time of year where we are wearing Birkenstocks or Flipflops but mohair socks also form a key part of my summer wardrobe. One of our facebook ads features a photo of a lovely friend of ours wearing her mustard mohairs with Bikenstocks and it has received so many comments. Sandals with socks or not just seems to be one of those divisive issues that gets people riled on both sides of the debate. It really seems to be one of those Marmite issues with the matra of ‘socks with sandals’ being viewed as either the ultimate fashion faux pas or incredibly cool. Personally, I am definitely not cool enough to pull it off and so admit to sticking well clear of wearing my mohair socks with sandals. I will leave that to others but I enjoy the debate. It’s interesting what makes people comment on social media posts. The other issue that is equally contentious is animal welfare. The mohair industry takes this incredibly seriously and farms are being accredited with the Responsible Mohair standard.
So is there a role for mohair socks to play in summer, if you are not prepared to sport them with sandals? We think there most definitely is. They look great with trainers and a skirt, for a more relaxed look. The unique properties of the mohair yarn from angora goats makes it take dye very well and give it an incredible lustre - so it’s a great pop of colour.
It’s not all about aesthetics. Mohair sock yarn has some incredible properties which make it ideal for socks. Personally I never like to wear trainers without socks, my feet just don’t feel quite right. My feet rub and get sticky!
Known as ‘the diamond fibre’ mohair is the ultimate luxury fibre - just right for the production of luxury socks. It is actually a fibre that has been used for thousands of years but yet mohair socks only make up a fraction of global socks. The fibre is soft, yet lustrous and hard wearing. Angora goats are used to navigating changing temperatures in South Africa and mohair is ideal for keeping your feet cool in summer. This makes mohair socks an excellent choice for slinging on with boots to walk a dog or head up a mountain or for playing tennis.
The yarns will wick away moisture from the feet. Unique to mohair, the yarns don’t have a scaly surface like sheep's wool. The surface is much smoother which means that bacteria have nowhere to go and as such gives mohair antibacterial properties. All this means the socks don’t smell and can be worn for several days without a wash.
Mohair yarns can also be up to 12 inches long, which when spun and knitted together, makes it an excellent fibre for socks. This, along with the lack of scales on the yarn, means that it doesn’t ‘bobble’ much like other fibres. It is so tough that it is even used in airline seats!
All this means that I tend to think of my mohair socks as ‘work horse socks’. They are super tough and I like the fact that they are easy to look after. Mohair socks wash well in the standard wash cycle. I do have some pairs of alpaca socks which I absolutely love but I also love my mohairs and love the fact that they can just be slung in with the rest of the washing. They do need to be air dried though, rather than going in the tumble dryer.
If you don’t have any of our socks and are thinking about investing in a few pairs what should you choose? It depends what you want them for. Our most popular colours are pink and mustard for a bit of colour. If you are after a pair to blend in then charcoal and navy work well. I leave a green pair in my wellies to pop on when I take the dog for a walk or pop out to feed the ducks. White mohair socks would be the ideal partner for tennis and would look very smart with some Dunlops.
We are aware that a pair of our socks is an investment, after all they are more expensive than cotton socks. However, looked after well they will last you for years and years and our feedback from customers is that once you have tried our mohair socks it is hard to wear anything else. At PAIRS HQ mohair socks are the reason we started the company. We were so impressed with the fibre and the properties it has that we decided to make it into socks. Head to our collection to check out our socks, which are all made in a traditional British mill.
We are always so interested to hear from customers who have bought our socks and what you like and what you don’t like, what you use them for. So please do get in touch with us. We are super grateful for our Trustpilot reviews from very happy customers who have tried our socks and are now as hooked as we are.
When we started the company and developed our collection of mohair socks, we decided that putting on our socks could be an Unexpectedly Joyful moment in the day. Who knew that socks could be a thing? But they really are. If your feet feel good then the day just feels better and you feel so much more able to cope with everything that comes your way. Think of the difference in enjoyment between going for a walk with comfortable or uncomfortable feet and translate that to everyday life. Your feet carry you through life and so why not treat them to the best. Putting on your luxury socks can feel like a wonderful moment preparing you for your day - putting on your armour as it were.
Sometimes I like to think about what feels really essential in life and I could add good coffee to that list, along with wifi and sourdough bread but I would also now add good socks to that list, as having comfortable feet has become essential to me. I don’t think I could go back to cotton socks any more.
If you like our socks already and know anything else who would like them, then you might like to know that we now send all our socks out in signature packaging as standard. All our packaging is recycled or recyclable and elevates the experience of receiving our socks into an absolutely delightful gift. Whether it’s one pair you buy or more, your socks will be beautifully wrapped in tissue, secured with a sticker, boxed in a beautiful box and then popped into a transparent mailer bag. This makes our socks an excellent gift and one which can be universally enjoyed and appreciated. We do give you the choice to also opt for minimal packaging, in which case your socks will be popped into a beautiful PAIRS envelope instead.
We have recently popped some ‘little extras’ on to the website, which are a curated collection of little extra gifts which can be purchased alongside our socks. The most recent addition is a Peppermint Foot Cream by B Skincare. B Skincare is a small British brand made in Devon. We are always delighted to support British brands and they make the most wonderful products. Their foot cream is incredible and is especially lovely to use in summer when our feet can need some TLC after walking barefoot. The cream is incredible if applied and then your socks are put on. This allows the cream to soak in and the cooling and reviving peppermint to do its work.
It’s worth subscribing to our email list, if you haven’t already as each month we feature a ‘little extra’ as a free gift when you purchase a couple of pairs of socks. We try to make this something seasonal or something that would be of particular interest for gifting that month. What could be nicer than receiving a couple of pairs of our socks in the post, beautifully packaged, with a little extra hidden inside. You need to be on our email list to hear about these offers. As a little thank you for joining our mailing list, then you can add a free pair of lambswool bed socks to your next order with us.
