Designed by Tradition: Cabot Hosiery Mills and Darn Tough Socks
Cabot Hosiery Mill in Northfield, Vermont has been knitting socks since 1978, when then owner Marc Cabot (whose father had owned textile mills in NH and North Carolina) purchased the property and converted it from a textile sales facility to 20,000 square feet of mill space.
For years to come, Cabot would produce socks for big name retailers, and continue to do so for a few decades, even expanding their facility from 20,000 SF to 56,000 SF...Until slowly brands started to outsource production, and sought to lower labor costs by producing overseas. One by one, private labels dropped off, and the mill was catapulted deeper and deeper into debt. By that time, Ric Cabot had taken over the factory from his father Marc. In 2004, with the mill on the brink of bankruptcy, Ric Cabot made a bold decision.
What if, instead of producing high volume, low margin private label goods, they could re-brand and create a higher end product that might be a bit more expensive, but would provide a product that was truly meant to last? Utilizing the highest quality materials and machinery, could they create a niche market for a truly unbeatable sock? Ric's bet paid off, and their Darn Tough line of socks eventually grew in popularity, amassed a cult-like following and saved the last commercial knitting mill in New England.
“I took a chance on the idea that people would be willing to pay a bit more for a performance sock that was top of the line and guaranteed for life. In order to make that a reality, we had to make the best sock in the world.”
We've been big fans of Darn Tough's socks for a while now...Seems to us that no one makes a sock that lasts longer and with a lifetime warranty, their product guarantee is second to none. We've added a couple of our favorite styles for skiing and hiking to the Alps & Meters collection.