Field Report - Climbing, hiking & mountaineering
Knocks your socks off
With over a decade's experience, Scottish sock sensation and ISPO gold award winner, Teko has fitted over 50,000 feet so you could say it understands the human foot pretty well. Owner Gordon Fraser tells us what keeps this innovative British company on the front foot
Gordon Fraser with Teko’s award winning socks
planet’. Ten years later and Teko is causing a sensation at outdoor industry events. Its latest accolade is for its ‘Regenerate Me’ Super Cushion multi-sport sock developed in conjunction with nylon regenerator Econyl. The sock wowed judges at Ispo Munich with its construction of 100% regenerated polyamide from rescued fishing nets. According to Gordon, Teko is highly focused on its eco-commitment. “We have a passion for the outdoors and an equal passion for making and doing with as little environmental impact as possible.” In fact the company is one of the few brands to get a 9/9 maximum eco-rating from
T
GreenroomVoice, an independent body that audits the world's brands for their environmental credentials. Teko also has a long list of partners it supports or sponsors, from the Conservation Alliance and the John Muir Trust, to its own TEKO Socks for Socks Programme (a social responsibility initiative to help disadvantaged children) and TEKO for Nepal (An initiative which has seen Teko donate over 1,000 pairs of socks to Sherpas in Nepal).
Innovation In the past decade Teko has focused on developing innovative yarns and designing new sock constructions that increase the speed of the evaporative process. Originally, the brand wanted to develop a faster
drying, much more durable merino sock, which they did using Bluesign certified merino wool and superfine recycled polyester yarns. However Gordon says: “We have worked very hard to
develop our own proprietary yarns with real performance differences. The outdoor market is consumed with merino wool. We love it but we don't believe it the be-all and end-all. It has its limitations. We used this as the catalyst to develop our own yarns with a major focus on performance, breathability, durability and the environment.”
20 •
www.sgboutdoor.co.uk
he company began its life in Boulder, Colorado in 2006, when Gordon acquired it and relocated the head office to Edinburgh, Scotland with a mission ‘to make the best socks on the planet and the best socks for the
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28