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Artisan wool socks from Russia
Welcome to the warm world of Russian Socks, the address for wonderfully thick wool socks for 10 years. Does the name startle you? Then let us reassure you right away. Our artisanal wool socks come from the Russian countryside, from a region, with vast landscapes and pristine nature, far from those in power. Herds have plenty of space there and many families have lived from the wool trade since the Middle Ages, simple and, from a Western perspective, often even shabby. Sheep, goats and wool are tradition there, and their artisanal wool products can be found at farmers’ markets as far away as Russia. That’s where all of Russian Socks’ woolen goods are made, still using traditional methods and with love and a sense of quality and tradition.
For 10 years, wool socks from trusted workshops
We started Russian Socks on a very small scale in 2014 and we remember exactly how we received our first big bag of wool socks from Russia! What a party! And what a response from our first customers! No one here in the West knew this quality, which quickly made our thick socks very popular! We are now over 10 years in and Russian Socks has grown quite a bit, despite the misery in Ukraine and increasingly expensive life. Our wool socks still come from the same workshops as in the beginning and they are going to stay that way! We cherish these dear people and know that they too are having a very difficult time right now.
Growing collection, lasting quality
We have built a great collection over the past 10 years with a wide variety of models and designs. You will always find something that makes you very happy! The selection of woolen socks and other woolen goodies has become wider and wider, and we are always trying to meet our customers’ requests. Popular models keep coming back every year, while we also present a lot of new products every season! What has remained the same in all this time is the quality, great designs and the more than warm response we get from our customers!
Wool socks have SO many benefits
More and more people now know the benefits of real wool socks from Russia! The Internet is full of socks, but it is only when you have Russian Socks in your hands that you feel and see the difference. Russian Socks are made with naturally pure sheep’s wool and goat’s wool. They are soft and thick, palpably not an industrial product and they actually smell like wool! This is due in part to the lanolin naturally found on the fibers. Our warm socks made of sheep’s wool and goat’s wool offer many advantages . They do not itch or barely are temperature regulating and hypoallergenic . They are stain-resistant, prevent foul odors,
insulate even when wet and do not mold. They offer a featherweight insulation, last a long time and wool is fireproof!
The properties of natural wool
For thousands of years, people have known the good and beneficial properties of natural products such as sheep’s wool and goat’s wool. We used it for our clothing, shelter, tools… Wool insulates, protects, ventilates and much more. For a long time, man lived in harmony with his environment and nature. We could always count on enough natural resources for our needs without harming the earth and life.
Ecological footprint of our wool socks
Unfortunately, there are so many of us by now that we are rapidly making our planet uninhabitable. For us and for the rest of life. Of course, being driven by the Western ideal of consumer society does not help! The balance is completely off! Therefore, it is good that more and more people are questioning the effect of mass production and the ecological footprint of products. How much do you need to live happily? Couldn’t it be more sustainable?
Warm socks from free grazing sheep and goats
Wool stuff from Russian Socks is ecologically responsible! The sheep and goats run loose year-round in vast plains and woodlands and are helped out of their woolen coats each spring. That jacket just grows back on after that. So if you want to talk about a renewable product… The way sheep and goats live there has hardly changed in the last 500 years. No breeding industry, no droves of nervous animals in a clump and no mass production. That has a lot to do with the culture of the country and the space available. Very different from, say, the Netherlands, where every square meter must fetch the top price and where sky-high costs and taxes force farmers into mass production.
We continue the wool tradition with Russian Socks
We have been selling wool products from the wool region in Russia for almost 10 years now. A large area, where traditionally free-grazing herds of sheep and goats defined the landscape and where many people earned a living making wool products. There, too, you see the changes slowly coming and many people are moving away towards the city, but fortunately enough remain, keeping sheep and goats in the same way as before and making beautiful products.
Mulesing happens in Australia, not Russia
We get the question more often these days. Is our wool really animal friendly and are the sheep subjected to mulesing ? The answer is in the name of our socks. Russian Socks, from Russia. Mulesing is done by
Australian breeders of Merino sheep, in Australia. It has everything to do with the massive scale on which they work there, with all the suffering for the animals. It may be hard to imagine, but you don’t need that kind of practice when you have millions of square miles of space and no consumer society. Whatever else you may think of the country, this kind of practice is simply not needed there!
Your wool socks will last a long time
And even when you bought your wool socks from Russian Socks, the ecological footprint remains small. Your Russian Socks will last a long time and you will need to wash them much less often than socks made of cotton, polyester or acrylic. The wool fiber naturally has antibacterial properties that prevent odors. Just hang outside to air and your wool socks are fresh again! So that again saves on the total footprint of your wool socks during use! Every little bit helps.
Frequently Asked Questions
The fibers of wool are very fine and therefore sting less or not noticeably. Compared to a human hair, the diameter of a wool fiber is almost 5 times smaller. Therefore, most people find wool a particularly pleasant product to wear directly on the skin. Studies show that only a very small percentage of people experience irritation from wool clothing. See, and so that’s where we get the itch again, and it’s good news for wearers of Russian wool socks!
Wool is a renewable product and its use in clothing, among other things, supports sheep farmers and especially those who graze their flocks on pesticide-free pastures. Many sheep farmers keep and maintain their animals organically and environmentally friendly, as this improves the quality of the wool. The processing and treatment of wool is also much less harmful to the environment than the processes for other natural or synthetic fibers. Pretty important to know if you want to buy Russian wool socks!
When wool is exposed to open fire, under normal conditions it will merely smolder and go out by itself. That is why fire departments in many countries wear wool uniforms and why many manufacturers of natural beds and mattresses use wool in their products to comply with fire prevention regulations. Wool, compared to all other clothing fibers used, has the highest fire resistance. Nice to know, when you regularly run yourself out of Russian wool socks!
Wool is known for its warmth, but what not many people know is that wool is also very often used as insulation against heat! For example, Bedouins in Sinai wear woolen robes to protect themselves from the extreme desert heat. Wool keeps you warm when you are cold and cool, when you are hot. Wool fabrics insulate better than most other textiles, thus transmitting less heat or cold. You can wear wool in severe cold or in extreme heat and still feel comfortable.
Dust mites, or dust mites, do not like wool. They are much more comfortable in warm, moist environments such as synthetic fabrics or down. And since dust mites are a major cause of allergies and asthmatic symptoms, so this is good news for wearers of Russian wool socks! We are not giving medical advice here, nor are we making any hard scientific statements, but with a round of Googling you will find this statement confirmed.
Wool is an excellent insulator and has the very highest insulation-to-weight ratio of all natural and synthetic fibers used for clothing. So you can wear wonderfully thick, hugely insulating wool socks or mittens without them feeling heavy or awkward.
Wool fibers can bend as many as 20,000 times before breaking. By comparison; for cotton fibers, this is as low as 3,000 and silk as low as 2,000 times! That means your wool socks, mittens or leg warmers will not only last much longer, but will also stay looking like new much longer! In addition, the fact that you don’t have to wash your wool socks in the washing machine all the time adds to their lifespan! And do you often walk around the house in stocking feet? Then we have soles especially for that, which you simply sew under your socks with a few cross stitches!
Most synthetic clothing fibers amplify body odors because they are a breeding ground for bacteria. Sweat itself is odorless. It is bacteria that make you “smell like sweat.” Wool largely reduces the likelihood of odors because the fabric quickly absorbs sweat and releases it to the air. Unlike most other natural and synthetic fibers, wool does not retain moisture or odors. Simply hang out and air and your wool socks are fresh again! In addition, the outer layer of the wool fiber contains a high concentration of fatty acids with antibacterial properties.
Wool fibers naturally wick away moisture, preventing this moisture from remaining in the fabric. This keeps the skin dry, but also prevents the formation of mildew, or mold. In addition, wool also has natural antimicrobial properties, as bacteria are generally more likely to be attracted to smooth, positively charged surfaces of synthetic fibers, rather than the scaly, neutrally charged surface of a wool fiber. Hospital studies show that bacterial colonies are common in cotton sheets, but not in wool blankets under the same conditions.
Wool is a renewable product and its use in clothing, among other things, supports sheep farmers and especially those who graze their flocks on pesticide-free pastures. Many sheep farmers keep and maintain their animals organically and environmentally friendly, as this improves the quality of the wool. The processing and treatment of wool is also much less harmful to the environment than the processes for other natural or synthetic fibers. Pretty important to know if you want to buy Russian wool socks!
The wool fiber core can absorb up to a third of its own weight in moisture. Only when wool is saturated with more than 60% of its own weight in moisture does it also start to feel wet. Therefore, even when quite damp, wool still contains enough air “pockets” to insulate well. In doing so, the moisture wicking properties of the fibers help carry the wetness away from the body and keep it warm.
We’re all about convenience, but it’s really not a good idea to just wash your wool items in the washing machine. Fortunately, you don’t have to wash your wool socks often, so a hand wash in due course is not the biggest task. Use cold or lukewarm water, never hot! If you’ve really made a mess, lukewarm water is allowed. A special wool program in the washing machine may also be used. Always wash your wool socks with a special agent for wool washing and instead of rubbing it in, it is better to knead or squeeze
Wool lasts a long time, but rubbing causes the fibers to break and therefore the fabric ages much faster. Then rinse with cold water until the detergent is out. Do not soak the wool for more than 5 minutes.
The best way to dry your wool socks is to twist them in a towel and roll them gently. Wringing it out is a very bad idea, of course, because that will take the shape out of your wool clothing. Also, don’t just haphazardly put away in a “form” to dry, but lay out neatly on a towel or clean surface. Direct sunlight while drying is again not a good idea, but once you go through these steps, your wool socks will be completely clean and like new again!