NEW SOCK MANUFACTURING CAPITAL?
With ‘best sock in the world,’ Cabot Hosiery Mill stakes claim to unofficial title
Posted August 12, 2014
By John W. McCurry
Ric Cabot said he believes the sock manufacturing capital of the world moved north in recent years.
Cabot, president and CEO of Cabot Hosiery Mill, which produces Darn Tough Vermont socks, said that designation now resides in Northfield, Vt. Never mind that Cabot Hosiery Mill is not only the sole sock maker in the small town, but also the only one in the entire state. Cabot said he believes it’s a matter of being the best in a highly competitive business.
“We make the best sock in the world right here in Northfield, Vermont,” said Cabot, a third-generation sock manufacturer. “We do an excellent job in communicating to our target market why it’s the best sock and what’s good about it. We have excellent sales reps who call on the right shops where our target market would be inclined to shop. We have an incredible work force that is well trained and focused on quality."
Evidence of Darn Tough Vermont’s success can be found at its bottom line. The company ended 2013 with revenue up 78 percent over the previous year. Cabot expects that upward trend to continue in 2014 with similar revenue growth and stronger volume.
Cabot Hosiery now employs about 150 people, a figure that has been steady the last few years as the Darn Tough Vermont brand has gained prominence.
All of Darn Tough’s socks are made at the Northfield mill. The company sources yarn from five spinners, including both U.S. and international sources. Cabot said high-density knitting provides durability and cushioning without bulk. The small-needle knitting used helps distinguish Darn Tough Vermont from its competitors, along with the use of Merino wool and the fact that all socks are made in the U.S., he said.
Darn Tough brand
Following more than a year of testing, the Cabot family founded the Darn Tough brand in 2004. It has grown to more than 20 different types of socks, ranging for socks for skiers to bicyclists. Cabot Hosiery Mill was founded in 1978 and manufactured socks for other brands. Today, all of its efforts involve Darn Tough.
The company debuted its Vertical line of socks at the Winter Outdoor Retailer show in Utah in January. It’s a regrouping of its former ski/ride downhill snow sports line of socks. Also new is what Cabot describes as a reinvention of the classic gym sock.
“It’s fun and it’s retro and in a way it pokes fun at what is a gym sock,” Cabot said. “We have taken the gym sock look and turned it into a 21st century sock with wool and cushioning.”
The gym sock is a response to customer requests for a comfortable, durable, multi-use sock, Cabot said. Constructed of antimicrobial, fine-gauge Merino wool, the sock naturally wicks moisture, regulates temperature and repels bacteria. The sock is available in light cushion and is available in white, black and three striped versions. It retails for $19.
“We use state-of-the-art knitting technology and are very focused on the quality of the product,” Cabot said. The company’s Italian-made machinery is all fine gauge, 168-needle and finer and most of it is seamless, he said.
Wool is a great fiber, Cabot said, offering both performance and fashion characteristics.
“Wool works hard, it knits well and is naturally anti-moisture and antimicrobial,” he said. “It takes color well and it’s durable. If it’s the right wool and the right grade, it’s darn tough. The processing and the spinning of wool are better than it has ever been.”
Cabot said the response to Darn Tough’s innovations at the Outdoor Retailer show was exceptional and has been for years.
“Our people take a lot of pride in what they do,” he said. “It’s always all hands on deck here. We are the largest employer and in town. We brought the sock capital of the world back to the U.S. It used to be in Fort Payne (Alabama), then it moved overseas and now it’s here in Northfield. It’s not about volume. It’s about quality.”
Outdoor performance
All of Darn Tough socks, except maybe its new gym sock, focus on outdoor performance markets. Cabot said the strongest individual markets are hiking socks and the ski business is also performing well.
One market area that has fallen off for Darn Tough is its military sales. The company has supplied all branches of the U.S. military with its high-tech socks in recent years. Military demand has declined over the past year with the drawn down of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. Cabot said the decline hasn’t been sharp and he describes current business as “steady.”
Cabot Hosiery puts a lot of resources into research and development, Cabot said. The company has a team dedicated to making samples and tweaking and testing different combinations. That effort has produced great results, he said.
“What we are producing now is the best we have ever produced and six months from now it will be better,” he said. “We are always looking to produce socks that are more durable and fit better.”
As the brand continues to grow, Cabot said he hopes to widen its distribution with a more general approach than specialty retailers.