![]() In the First World War, soldiers relied on socks to protect them from a nasty condition known as trench foot that caused necrosis in their leg tissue from the damp conditions in the trenches. Soldiers have known the benefits of socks throughout history, following in the footsteps of the Romans in their quest for warm, dry feet. As the Industrial Revolution came and went, knitted stockings became more widely accessible, yet they still remained a privilege of the rich and, quite literally, well-heeled parts of society. Over time, the Huguenots spread the word of the knitting machine throughout Europe, ensuring their appeal across the entire continent. Instead, Lee received financial support from King Henri IV of France, which enabled him to open a stocking factory in Rouen in France. However, the monarch was horrified by the crude design of the machine-manufactured stockings and declined to give the project her approval. Lee sent a pair of knitted stocking to Queen Elizabeth I in the hope of securing her patronage. Its main principles are still used in modern-day knitting machines and its creation enabled the mass production of knitted stockings and socks. In 1589, an English clergyman called William Lee invented the first stocking frame knitting machine. Higher-born women were especially fond of silk stockings, delicately crafted by hand using many different colours of silk and worn to display the owner’s wealth and accentuate their shapely legs and ankles. Garters, or bands, were placed over the top of them to prevent them from falling down. During the Middle Ages, socks grew in length to cover the whole leg and become known as stockings. Stockings and socks were popular with men and women throughout history, and fashions changed and evolved to incorporate them in various guises. Indeed, Roman soldiers apparently sent word regularly back to Rome asking for more socks to be dispatched to keep their feet warm during battle. Romans were fans of the sock-sandal combination too and found warm foot coverings made from leather and fabric strips essential in the colder climates of Britain during their invasion. Ancient Egyptian socks were made from brightly coloured wool and designed to be worn with sandals – now considered an example of questionable sartorial taste! ![]() Yet the history of socks can be traced right back to Ancient Egypt, where evidence has been found in excavated graves that revealed their existence way back in time, from around 1500 BC. ![]() ![]() Pretty much all of us are used to simply pulling on a pair in the morning and not giving the matter any further thought. ![]()
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