Darn Tough Vermont Continues to Inhale Market Share

July 14, 2016

Second quarter year-over-year results up 53%

Darn Tough Vermont, the American manufacturer of the fastest growing collection of performance outdoor and lifestyle socks, is proud to announce it has again achieved high double-digit growth, this time during the second quarter of 2016. Darn Tough points to increases across all categories and strong international sales, each contributing to the 53 percent gain. The Vermont-based company maintains focus on their mission to make the world’s best sock in Vermont, USA without compromise to comfort, durability and fit, and the brand’s growth isn’t slowing.

“We continue to distance ourselves from the flurry of newcomers while at the same time earning more and more market share from the market leader,” remarks Ric Cabot, President and CEO of Cabot Hosiery Mill/Darn Tough Vermont. “The biggest thing we bring to the table for our customer is the quality of our product and the value we provide by making our own socks. We aren’t buying and reselling product from other mills. We do it all ourselves, which means we can offer the highest quality raw materials and unparalleled finished product at the best value to the customer. Our continued growth reflects this.”

Darn Tough launched the brand with an unconditional lifetime guarantee tied to every pair of socks knitted. Owning total oversight of the sock manufacturing process at its mill in Vermont, Darn Tough still maintains and honors this promise thirteen years later.

Cabot goes on to question the credibility bubble he’s seeing, not only in socks, but in many other product lines in the outdoor channel. “Those that don’t make their own product, outsource the production, may market that their product is designed in Colorado or designed in California or where have you, only to learn that the product is made in China, Vietnam or someplace else. The consumer is smarter than that. We’ve never hidden the fact that our socks are made in Vermont.”

Category Growth

Darn Tough saw strong growth across all categories: Lifestyle, Hike/Trek, Endurance and Vertical. Notable numbers were posted in men’s Lifestyle, which grew over 300 percent, and women’s Vertical, which grew over 180 percent.  In addition, the Hike category saw incremental increases due to new styles and colors while the Endurance category – which includes the new Vertex running sock collection – also continues to grow. Also of note, the company opened more than 90 new accounts in the US alone during the second quarter of 2016.

About Darn Tough Vermont: 

Darn Tough Vermont is an American manufacturer of premium, all-weather outdoor and lifestyle socks for every activity and every day. The company offers both Specialty and Tactical product lines. Darn Tough Vermont’s Specialty line offers footwear in six active wear categories including Ski/Ride, Hike/Trek, Run/Bike, Lifestyle, Hunt, Work and Kid’s styles – all of which carry the industry’s only unconditional lifetime guarantee.

Darn Tough’s product is distinguished from industry competitors by 100 percent USA manufacturing; exceptional comfort, durability and fit; True-Seamless™ technology; and an exclusive blend of either ultra-fine, premium Merino wool or Coolmax®/Thermolite®.  Founded by Ric Cabot in 2004, a third-generation sock maker, Darn Tough Vermont operates out of Cabot Hosiery Mills. For more information about Darn Tough Vermont socks, please visit: www.DarnTough.com.

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