In 1844, the British chemist John Mercer found that treating cotton yarn with a concentrated alkaline solution causes the fibers to swell. This causes their cross section to change and the cotton fibers become stronger.

Later, in 1890. Horace Low refines the process by keeping cotton at room temperature the cotton is kept under a certain pressure for ten minutes. At the same time, the fibers are treated with an alkaline solution and aqueous agents used to facilitate the transfer of the alkaline solution into the cotton fibre. Doing the process under high-pressure adds a silky shine and colors become more saturated because the threads absorb the dyes added to them  much better. This allows mercerized fibers to retain their color over time and not fade away.

In the process of mercerization, cotton loses up to 25% of its length, resulting in a higher price of products made of this material than that of ordinary cotton products. However, this makes mercerized cotton products more durable and retains their shape after wearing and repeatedly washing them.

This is the reason why mercerized fabrics are mainly used in luxury clothing of major fashion brands around the world. One of the companies that uses only first-class mercerized cotton for their products is the Portuguese company WestMister, a manufacturer of high-quality socks. With WestMister’ socks, one feels more comfortable than ever. Matter, touch, patterns, colors, everything in their socks inspires boldness and elegance.

As partners with WestMister, this month you can find their high quality, fresh and elegant socks at our atelier.