And so we have arrived at the final instalment of our materials mini-series with a blog about Elastane. This is the smallest element of our super-soft sock recipe at a midgey 3% but don’t let that fool you – it’s a mighty little ingredient with a vital part to play!
Missed our earlier blogs in this series? Catch up here:
You’re probably aware of Elastane, and if you’re not it’s likely because you know it under one of its aliases – Lycra or (for our American friends) Spandex. They’re all the same thing.
(Fascinating fact: The name Spandex was chosen because of its being an anagram of “expands”.)
Elastane is a man-made fibre, invented in 1937, but not hitting the mass markets really until the 1960s. We’re not scientists so let’s keep this brief – it’s made through a series of chemical reactions, then spun into lightweight fibres which can be used with a whole host of other materials, in our case bamboo, organic cotton and recycled polyester.
Its appeal comes from its super stretchability – it has such incredible elasticity it can be stretched to 7 times its original length and still ping back unharmed (anyone else picturing Mrs Incredible?). These stretchy properties make it ideal for any body-hugging garments – knickers, sportswear and you guessed it – socks. And because unlike other materials it can keep its shape after stretching again and again it keeps your Doris & Dude socks fitting like a glove (we should see about changing that saying)! ?
Have you seen our Easy Fit range? It contains less elastane at just 2%, making socks with a looser fit and gentler grip, ideal for larger calves, oedema or diabetes patients or swollen feet.
Read more about Easy Fit on our blog.