First 500 For Christmas

We have already secured enough yarn and factory production time for 500 pairs of our handmade British socks. This will allow us to dispatch the first 500 socks ordered in time for a November 2016 delivery making these a great gift. All orders over this will be made in a separate production run and delivered by Feb 2017 (the date in the perk option boxes).

The Factory

When the opportunity came about to expand our range by partnering with a company possessing such heritage and expertise, it was an easy decision to make! several meetings and cups of tea later, here we are.

Why Cotton?

In a world of high performance man made fabrics that promise to do everything from making you run faster to making your feet smell like roses on a summer evening (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration but you see where we are coming from...). We selected ethically grown cotton for the following reasons:

COTTON IS A NON-ALLERGENIC FIBRE -  It doesn’t irritate sensitive skin and its softness makes it a preferred fibre for socks and other intimate garments worn next to the skin.

COTTON IS BRIGHT - Cotton is one of the most versatile fibres to dye, because it’s light in colour and very absorbent.

COTTON BREATHES EASILY - This makes cotton more comfortable to wear than most synthetic fibres as it can wick and transport moisture away from the body. It can help to keep the body cool in summer and warm in winter due to its natural thermal properties.

COTTON IS NATURAL AND MORE ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE - Unlike synthetic fibres, cotton is a naturally harvested product that uses very little crude-oil based chemicals and has a much lower Carbon Footprint.

What Will You Get?

In return for your pledge we are offering up to a whopping 50% discount on the RRP of the range and the chance to get your British made socks before anyone else.

There are various pack sizes on offer and even some combos that include our existing Kensington range of boxer briefs. So you can smash the British style look from toe to... well midriff (note to self, find a hat supplier).

CHUNKY KNIT SOCKS

FINE KNIT SOCKS

You can choose from any of the above sock designs to create your pack. We will contact you within 24 hours of the campaign ending to confirm the size and colour options you require.

You can choose from any of the above Egyptian cotton boxer brief designs for COMBO packs. For more info on this range please visit drakeandhutch.com/boxer-brief

The Quality

It's all well and good coming out with facts and figures, the big question is are they comfy and will they last? the answer, in a word.... YES!

Our socks exceed Internationally Recognised minimum requirements for such things as: Colour Bleed, Washing Shrinkage, Fibre “Bobbling” and “Wearing out”. In “Techno – Speak”, these are referred to as; Colour Fastness, Stability, Pilling and Abrasion.

Our socks have passed through Due Diligence testing for the presence of European (REACh) and USA (TSCA) banned harmful substances and very exact Fibre Compositions, where multiple fibres have been used.

Thats enough tech stuff for now. We know everyone wants to see pictures! So here are the socks being made:

British Manufacturing

Being based in Lancashire (North-West England), we travel to our office and pass hundreds of years worth of history in the apparel, specifically cotton, industry. In fact Manchester was known as Cottonopolis due to its status as the global centre of trade for cotton in the 19th Century. In our lifetime many of these spectacular old mills and trading houses have been brought back to life in the form of apartments and retail stores.

While its great to see this history preserved, it's even better to see manufacturing returning to the UK. As a business we only work with the finest cotton growers, millers and garment makers in the world. We are absolutely delighted that the UK is seeing a resurgence in high quality, skilled clothing production and we want to be a part of this for years to come. By supporting this campaign you are also supporting UK manufacturing and providing UK jobs.

Why We Are Asking For Your Hard Earned Money?

Drake & Hutch exists as a young business already retailing online and with 15 stockists globally (check them out, they are all very nice people), we are not a start up and we are not requesting funds to go from an idea to an actual business. We require £2000 to buy the stock and market the new range to existing and potential customers and attend trade shows.

As with any young business we have a limited cash flow and introducing new lines can be an expensive task. We could have approached our bank manager, but interest rates are high and cash lending levels low.

The LIGHT BULB MOMENT..... why don't we offer the new line for pre-order at an exclusive reduced rate? This way customers get a great product at a reduced price and we get the injection of cash to grow the business and incorporate the new range. Added bonus.... the bank doesn't take a big old wedge of cash from us for doing very little. HA! take that global banking system.

Risks & Challenges

The range of socks has been developed and signed off for bulk. Once the campaign ends we will use the money raised to buy stock and distribute your orders from our warehouse. The first 500 pairs ordered will be delivered in time for Christmas. Additional orders will be delivered by February 2017.

We carry stock of the Kensington Boxer Brief in our UK based warehouse. For all orders, we will contact you no later than 24 hours after the campaign ends to find out what size and design you would like.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you like the idea of what we are doing please please please share this with friends, family members, work colleagues or even the people sat next to you on the train! 

To succeed we need to let as many people know about the campaign as possible and word of month is THE BEST form of endorsement. You can share the campaign using the social media/email links at the top of the page.