The journey of a Bridgedale sock
Ever wondered what goes into making a great walking sock? We followed the journey of a Bridgedale sock from its initial design concept to the end of the production line to find out.
RESEARCH, DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
In a small room off the factory floor, a team Bridgedale product, with every previous of self-confessed sock geeks are surrounded model stored safely inside. This is where by coloured cardboard boxes they refer to as every sock is analysed, tested and tweaked, ‘bibles’. Each box is dedicated to a specific resulting in an endless cycle of innovation.
YARN SPINNING
Fusion Tech is the unique blend of yarn and knitting technology that sets Bridgedale apart from competitors, and to witness it in action is seriously impressive. Huge spools of individual yarn are hooked up to high-tech machines, then mixed together to create the individual blends of yarn and nylon that go into each sock.
KNITTING
Gone are the days of knitting needles and seamstresses hunched over sewing machines – the production line is powered by dozens of cutting-edge machines that knit, stretch and seal each sock, bringing to life years of hard work and designs from the Bridgedale team.
BULKING & PRESSING
After being spun in a giant steam drier to heat-set the nylon to shrink the socks to their final size, they’re then stretched onto foot forms and pressed to their final shape.
QUALITY CONTROL
Quality is at the heart of everything Bridgedale do. Every sock is passed through a series of inspections during the production process, before being hand-checked at the packing stage. Any sock that is found to contain a fault is either recycled or donated, so nothing goes to waste.
PACKING AND SHIPPING
Once every pair of socks is packed, It’s boxed up and delivered to the feet of a happy walker!