Lyocell serves as a technical bridge between biological sources and engineered forms. By dissolving and reconstituting cellulose, manufacturers create a fiber that retains hydrophilic properties while achieving structural uniformity.
Hemp is a high-performance bast fiber defined by its tensile strength and unique biological resistance to UV light and microbes. While its low elasticity and natural stiffness present challenges for next-to-skin comfort, these are mitigated through modern processing techniques.
Elastane is the primary structural agent for elasticity in modern textiles. It lacks the tensile strength or surface properties to function as a standalone material, but its unique capacity for extreme reversible elongation makes it indispensable for composite yarns
Nylon is the benchmark for durability and elasticity in the modern textile industry. Its high tensile strength allows it to survive mechanical stresses that would degrade natural materials. However, its synthetic origin creates specific challenges regarding moisture management, surface odor, and environmental impact.
Cotton is a primary fiber for casual comfort due to its soft, non-irritating biological structure. While it is durable and easy to maintain, its physical properties, specifically its high heat conductivity and lack of elastic recovery, limit its utility in high-performance or alpine environments.
Finding a manufacturer is easy if you are willing to settle for what is already on the shelf. You open a catalog, pick a standard blend, and start production. But as we moved deeper into the development of FearKnot, it became clear that buying off the shelf was not going to cut it. The standard options forced us to choose between performance and the planet, and that is a choice we refuse to make.
When we started this journey, we were fueled by a single, clear mission to create a performance sock that was sustainable and didn’t contribute to plastic pollution. This mission has been our compass from day one, guiding every decision.
Now, we must confront the final, most personal part of this story. What happens when this pollution stops being "out there" in the environment and starts being "in here," inside our bodies?
One of the most talked about solutions is the installation of filters on washing machines to catch the fibers before they go down the drain. On the surface, this seems like a logical step, and any effort to reduce pollution is a positive one.
For the hundreds of thousands of microscopic fibers shed in a place we all know, our laundry rooms. That moment is the start of a vast and destructive journey that touches every environment on Earth, revealing the true, lasting impact of the clothes we wear.
We often think of pollution as something that happens "out there" in distant oceans or industrial towns. But what if one of the biggest sources of this pollution isn't an external threat...
To truly understand the issue, we have to look beyond our laundry baskets and into the industrial systems that created it. How did our clothing become a primary source of plastic pollution?
From the depths of the Mariana Trench to the peak of Mount Everest, plastic pollution has reached every corner of our planet. But a more personal and invisible threat has recently come into focus: microplastics.
As new parents, we became hyper-aware of everything we brought into our home, from the food our son ate to the clothes he wore. From the start, we wanted to give him an abundant appreciation for the outdoors and the natural world around him here in our home base of Chattanooga.
