How are the socks made?

Any face boxers company can put Photoshopped images of their custom socks online, but digging deep into the sock creation process will help you determine if the socks will look as good IRL as they do on your computer screen. Ask vendors what kind of personalization technology they use—direct-to-garment (DTG) or dye sublimation? DTG is a premium method of digitally printing vibrant artwork directly onto the yarn, and it’s far superior to dye sublimation, which only prints artwork onto the surface of a garment rather than embedding it into the fibers. Look for DTG if you want socks that’ll retain their artwork even after they’ve been stretched and worn many times.

Custom knit socks are also another option out there. Some vendors, including Tribe Socks, offer great quality knit socks, but because the socks are machine-knit they are very design restrictive. With DTG printed socks you get the best of both worlds: high quality custom socks with full-color designs and no restrictions.

Make sure you also ask vendors what kinds of yarns they custom socks out of, since this will help determine the durability and comfort of the socks. At Tribe Socks, we use dense yet soft yarns and assemble our socks on 200-needle Italian Lonati machines. Lesser yarns can yield socks that are scratchy or don’t retain their shape well after numerous washes.