Kickstarter: Production Update
Production on our full collection of Fortis Green dress socks is on schedule with our Portuguese factory and our first order is due for completion by the end of April. This will cover all of our Kickstarter orders plus extra stock which will be available to purchase through our soon to launch online store. Keep an eye on the Fortis Green FACEBOOK page for details. We'll also be sure to update you as soon as your packages are on their way.
Before delivery, we thought you we’d share bit more detail about the cotton we’re using and its journey from Egypt to Portugal via Italy. We've chosen to source our mercerised cotton from a highly esteemed Italian cotton mill, which sources its cotton fibers directly from Egypt.
The Nile enjoys extraordinary weather conditions, ideal for producing the best cotton in the world. In September the cotton is harvested by hand and importantly, the bolls will only be taken from the plant once they have matured. Harvesting by this method means that the defoliants and other chemicals normally used in mechanical harvesting are avoided. Another benefit of using Egyptian cotton are the longer fibers this cotton produces, allowing for fewer splices when spinning. The result is incredibly fine, yet strong and durable yarns.
The cotton is shipped to Italy where it is spun. The raw cotton bolls are delicate and can become polluted with other fibers. It's then up to the expertise of the spinner, along with the technologies used throughout the processing cycle that will remove any residual contaminants. It’s this process that will mark the final quality the yarn spun.
Fortis Green has chosen to use mercerized, rather than combed cotton for our men’s dress socks. The mercerizing process expands the cotton fibers so they achieve greater dye density. Mercerisation makes the yarn brilliant, resistant, unshrinkable and with a smooth lustre to the finish that will not pill.
The yarn is dyed with colorants that meet the human and environmental standards established by the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 - an independent international testing and certification system for textiles at all stages of production. The dyes used by our Italian cotton mill meet the highest class level 1.
Our yarns are then transported to Portugal where our socks are knitted. Combine all this with the soft hand feel and antibacterial treatment we’ve added from Swiss Textile technology company HeiQ and you’ve got a lot a lot to look forward to from your Fortis Green socks.
We’d also like to add that our sock sizes are generous and without any chance of your socks shrinking, we’d like to make 100% sure we’re sending you the correct size. If you’re a size UK 9.5 / USA 10 / EU 43.5 or smaller and have ordered size L-XL, please feel free to email me to discuss whether we would recommend sizing down to a Medium. You can email me directly at: ray.willmoth@fortisgreen.com
