The Great Canadian Sox Story

Published on: December 5, 2023

How focusing on "Made in Canada" paid off for a family-owned sock business

Nestled in Ontario lies a legacy – a tale woven by The Great Canadian Sox Company. Since its inception in 1934, this family-owned business has elevated the craft of manufacturing premium socks to an art form.

These sock pros are all about promoting active outdoor lifestyles through walking, hiking, biking, running, mountaineering, skiing, and snowboarding.

Evolution has been key to their success. From focusing on making custom knit socks and private labels for other brands, they shifted focus to their own line of outdoor adventure socks made from merino wool. Their expertise shines brightest in crafting hiking and extreme cold weather socks, enduring temperatures as low as -50. 

They refuse to let chilly weather or poor-quality socks stop customers from leading healthy lifestyles or enjoying the great outdoors. Their secret? An unwavering commitment to quality.

Utilizing top-tier materials and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, each pair is crafted with precision. Enhanced with reinforced heels, toes, arch and ankle support, along with double cuff and ribbing, these features guarantee unparalleled comfort and longevity.

With a team of nearly 60 dedicated individuals, they produce an impressive average of 900,000 pairs of socks each year. That’s a lot of happy feet!

Going back to the 90’s, they were one of the biggest producers of socks in Canada, manufacturing for brands such as Fila, Reebok, Champion, Roots, Northern Reflections and Eaton's. If you wore Canadian-made socks back then, chances are it was made by them.

Known as Ontario Hosiery at the time, they shifted gears when these companies started outsourcing overseas. Diversification became their strategy, leading to the acquisition of J.B. Field's in 1998 – an outdoor adventure brand specializing in technical socks for hiking, work wear, and extreme cold weather.

Dating back to 1877, J.B. Field's is one of Canada's oldest sock brands and has remained Canadian-owned and operated for over 144 years. Originally set up to manufacture socks for the logging industry, they have expanded the line to include diabetic, compression, casual and athletic socks. 

Fast forward to today, only about 40% of their manufacturing continues to be custom/private label, while 60% is from their house brands - J.B. Field's and Vagden.

They opened up their first The Great Canadian Sox Shop location in 2015, and now have four other locations in the GTA, including a factory outlet in East York and one in Cambridge. You can also find their J.B. Field's socks at Camp Connection, Al Flaherty’s and New Toronto Surplus, as well as nationally at all MEC locations.

More than just socks, The Great Canadian Sox Company is a story of passion, resilience, and top-notch quality that has spanned generations.

Want to shop local this holiday season? Check out their website greatsox.com or pay a visit to one of their stores. They’ve got a great selection of Ontario-made and Canadian-owned brands.

Keep the spirit of exploration alive while championing local manufacturing by shopping Ontario-made this festive season!