Merino gets sold as hiking kit. Its better use might be the ordinary day: the commute, eight hours in work shoes, the walk home, back out again. That's where cotton gives up first.
Why merino suits an ordinary day
It copes with a heated office
Merino regulates temperature rather than simply insulating. Cold platform at eight, overheated meeting room at eleven. It handles both. One sock, most of the year.
Drier feet in closed shoes
Leather shoes don't breathe much. Merino takes moisture into the fibre as vapour and lets it go, so feet aren't sitting in damp by mid-afternoon.
Less smell by evening
Drier feet means fewer of the bacteria that cause odour. Useful if your day doesn't end when work does.
Not itchy
Merino fibres are very fine, so they bend rather than prickle. If you're still wary, here's why some wool itches and good wool doesn't.
Thin enough for proper shoes
A lightweight merino sock fits in brogues, loafers and trainers without making the shoe tight. Under trousers it just looks like a sock.
Good for travel
Because it resists odour, you can pack fewer pairs. Rinse in the sink, hang overnight, wear again.
Which height for which day
- Office and smart shoes: crew length, so no shin shows when you sit down. The Merino Everyday Crew Sock comes in navy, grey, black, burgundy and pink.
- Trainers and weekends: the Merino Everyday Ankle Sock 3-Pack, or the Merino Trainer Socks if you'd rather nothing showed.
- All of the above: the Ultimate Merino Bundle is seven pairs of crew, ankle and trainer socks. A week's worth.
A note on the sheep
Our merino is non-mulesed. If that's a new word, here's what it means and why we bother.
The short version
If you change one thing in your wardrobe this winter, socks are the easiest place to start. Nobody will notice. Your feet will.
