Nearly 90% of all socks circulating in international markets actually come from Shetou, a hosiery village in Changhua, Central Taiwan. During World War II, due to fate and chance, stocking making was rooted in Shetou. As time passed by, the number of Shetou hosiery factories kept increasing. Today, there are about 200 hosiery factories still working in Changhua, and therefore it is known as Taiwan’s “Hosiery Kingdom”.
With its long experience in the hosiery industry, and the introduction of high quality and innovative technology, Taiwan’s hosiery industry has increased its reputation with international hosiery brands, despite strong market challenges. The industry makes a wide range of items, from cotton socks to highly technical medical socks, outdoor sports socks and stockings, and in response to new trends has ventured into the research and development of nightwear, sports training pressure pants and other functional application wear.
In recent years, sock manufacturers have continued to invest in the development of outdoor sports products. One example is waterproof, outdoor sports socks, which have been developed in recent years for use in popular outdoor activities such as mountain climbing and river rafting. They use three-layer, full lamination technology, making use of the characteristics of the different materials that make up each layer. The surface layer is a durable, wear-resistant, functional fabric, the middle layer is a seamless, solid 3D membrane material without gaps and the innermost wool layer is designed to keep the feet warm and strengthen the moisture permeability through a wicking function. The socks produced are completely waterproof, cold proof, antibacterial and deodorizing, as well as having a comfortable fit and keeping the users warm. What’s more, in order to adapt to the latest trends and fashions, they are combined with exclusive designs, and have been put through tough color fastness tests, which include friction, washing, rain, exposure to sunlight, seawater immersion, etc. This combination of functionality and aesthetics, made possible by the application of the latest technology, has also been used to develop gloves and other products, and has attracted a strong following from many casual fashion wearers.
Taiwan Hosiery Zone: https://hosiery.taiwantrade.com/
Taiwan Optical Zone: https://optical.taiwantrade.com/