Technical details Open Accordion
- Material made in Italy: 87% Merino, 11% cashmere, 2% elastane
- Merino wool is sourced from Australia and is mulesing free
- Cashmere is sourced from Mongolia
- Our sourcing and production partner is a member the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) and the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)
- Built with a 5 gauge knit
- Highly elastic
- Thermoregulating
- Breathable
- Insulating
- Odour resistant
- Naturally water repellent
- Fast drying
- Wool wash at 30°C
- Dry flat
Size + fit Open Accordion
Fit guide: The Nomad Socks come in one size, designed to fit UK 7-12 / EU 41-47 / US 8-13.
Personalised advice: You can ask us for personalised sizing advice here.
Returns and exchanges: Don’t worry if you order something and it doesn’t fit – we have a free, no hassle 30 day return and exchange period.
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Nomads know what it takes to survive
From arctic tundra to arid deserts, nomadic communities have always lived in some of the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth. Guided by the seasons they make the most of scarce resources by simply packing up their homes and moving to new ground, only leaving a faded patch of earth behind them. But as our climate becomes more extreme and resources become scarce, their lifestyle gives us a glimpse of what our future might hold if the next century doesn’t turn out quite as planned.
The art of travelling light
On a two million year timeline, the material comforts of cities, towns and villages remain a modern-day luxury. They represent less than 1% of our time on Earth. People who still roam the planet know the true challenges of survival. Because you have to travel light when your life is spent on the move. If you need to be able to pack your entire home up on your shoulders, there’s no use having a lighter closet. Everything you wear, pack, and carry has to count. And when the seasons turn hostile, and your nearest neighbour is 100km across the local tundra, you need gear you can rely on.
Why nomads use wool
To build the Nomad Socks we started with the most versatile and natural raw material in the world. For centuries nomads have used wool from their livestock to stay warm and dry. It’s soft, elastic, and superb at keeping your temperature stable. It’s also naturally water repellent and fast drying. While all wools are known for having incredible properties, we set out to source two of the most extraordinary varieties on the planet, produced on the grasslands of Mongolia, and ultrafine Australian Merino.
It's hard to roam if your feet hurt
The idea for the Nomad Socks was simple. If you’re roaming the Earth, you’re going to need a good pair of socks. You’re not going to get very far with sore feet. So we wanted to build a pair of socks that could travel hundreds of miles with you through changing conditions. That’s why we’ve built our Nomad Socks from two of the softest wools in the world. And it’s why they’re thermoregulating, moisture wicking, odour resistant, elastic, and built with zero seams.
We start with ultrafine Merino wool
The base material for the Nomad Socks is an ultrafine Australian Merino wool. Merino sheep are bred to survive scorching summers and freezing winters, so their fleece has evolved to help them stay cool in temperatures of over 30°C, while staying warm in -10°C. So when you wear Merino fibres they respond and adapt to the conditions you find yourself in – either trapping or releasing heat depending on the temperature and humidity of your skin. By combining Merino with cashmere and a small amount of elastane, we make the Nomad Socks even warmer, stronger, and more elastic.
We combine the Merino with cashmere
We get our cashmere from the fleeces of the Hircus Laniger goats that graze on the vast grasslands of the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe. Stretching over 800,000 square kilometres, they experience some of the harshest winters on Earth – where temperatures drop to -50°C, and recurring natural disasters like ‘the dzud’ even have their own name. While people developed yurts to survive, the goats developed an incredibly thick fleece. Today every cashmere goat has a thick and rugged outer layer that protects a warm and ultra-soft undercoat. And it’s this undercoat which produces the cashmere fibres that we use to create the Nomad Socks.
These are two of the world’s softest wools
What makes the Nomad Socks so soft is just how fine, or thin, the Merino and cashmere fibres are. The diameter of a wool fibre is measured in microns. The lower the micron count, the finer and softer the wool. For context a human hair is about 70 microns. While superfine Merino wool measures about 18 microns, the Merino we use for the Nomad Socks is even finer, measuring just 16.8 microns in diameter, and our cashmere is just 15.7 microns.
They keep you warm in the cold
The Nomad Socks are long, cushioned and insulating to keep you warm in the cold. Staying warm is all about trapping as many pockets of air next to your body as possible and that’s what Merino and cashmere are built for. Every fibre is hollow which means you have millions of air pockets trapped next to your skin. And as the natural curl of wool fibres traps more air than straight fibres, the microscopic texture of the fabric itself will also retain heat. And if your feet get too hot, the wool will start releasing heat, just like it does for the sheep and goats that made it.
Built with cushioned toes and zero seams
To keep your feet comfortable, we’ve combined two of the softest wools in the world, with cutting edge engineering. Each sock is built with the knitting equivalent of 3D printing. It means that it’s constructed three dimensionally as one entire piece so the socks have no seams. We’ve also added cushioning at stress points like the heel and toes. The panel on the top of the foot is super breathable to keep your temperature stable. And every texture has been chosen to follow the contours of your feet, ankles and legs so you never feel restricted.
It’s hard to make the Nomad Socks smell
It’s not sweat that smells, or even the clothes themselves, it’s the build-up of bacteria on the surface of the clothes. Merino and cashmere are naturally odour resistant – odour molecules are absorbed and locked into the centre of their fibres so you simply can’t smell them. They’re then released when you wash the socks. It’s perfect if the nearest shower or waterfall is a couple of months away.
Fast drying and insulating even when wet
Merino and cashmere are both water repellent – the outside of every merino fibre is covered in a natural wax coating. At the same time the wool acts like a sponge to soak up sweat and spread it over a massive surface area so that it evaporates at high speed. And as the fibres can absorb over a third of their own weight in water and still feel dry, you’ll stay warm and insulated.
How we source our wool responsibly
While merino and cashmere are amazing materials, they have to be made ethically and in the right way. To create the Nomad Socks we work with a partner who is a member of both the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) and the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). These independent bodies are committed to protecting the welfare and livelihood of the animals and herders, as well as preserving and restoring the grasslands they graze and work on.
Our Nomad range
Our ancestors were building nomadic clothing for at least the last 50,000 years. It was ultra-soft gear that could work across any climate and terrain – from the grasslands and deserts to the arctic tundra. So our Nomad range is the softest gear anywhere on Earth, built to work wherever you’re going. From sweaters built with alpacas from the Andes, to cashmere hoodies grown on the vast grasslands of the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe, to our Nomad Puffer and Pants which are based on the earliest known Arctic clothing. You can see the whole collection here.
