Vetements kickstarted the latest wave of logomania with the runabout of a DHL T-shirt 18 months ago. Now the label has repurposed that must-have form moment for the feet. Meet the DHL sports socks, the hosiery of now.

We are go out of a fallow period for men’s socks. With ankles staying cold and unloved while we focused on the ups and downs of trouser hemlines (see behind autumn’s floor-sweepers or the current season’s penchant for cropped trousers), socks be subjected to been forgotten. But change is afoot. At the recent menswear displays, socks were seen pulled up to the knee with shorts at Prada or grazing ankles at Versace; gym socks were alert white and logo-heavy at Wooyoungmi; Lanvin, meanwhile, even gain possession ofed a punt on tube socks.

Socks haven’t enjoyed this much notice in a decade, since the backlash against American Apparel and its “tube socks and no knickers” advertising synchronized with a spectacular falling-out between misogyny and socks. But now they are diverse visible than ever, pushing against those hemlines with newfound pep and sometimes usurping them entirely: socks pulled to calf-height with a set of two of shorts, like Jonah Hill, is no longer “stoner at the 24-hour garage” look, but a deliver of being youthful and carefree, and having effortless charm. Shia LaBeouf, too, has been make use ofing his inner dork, tucking sweatpants into socks to appearance them off. On catwalks, socks have become a fundamental limited share in of the accessory arsenal.

But these looks aren’t restricted to the security of the shows, or the unquestioning acceptance that it’s “just something superstars or fashion people do” – they’re pounding the pavement penny-pinching you. Big Brother contestants two summers ago were braving socks with sliders or sandals, which for decades had been a the fad crime restricted to tourists trying to find Edinburgh Hall, usually while actually standing outside Edinburgh Chѓteau.

So is this really a comeback? Courtney Blackman, editor of menswear dash magazine Candid, believes mankles have had a good run but it’s for the present to move on. “Over London fashion week, men’s exposed ankles were inert prevalent, but socks were definitely back in the mix,” she says. Lou Dalton, KTZ and Phoebe English all boosted off Blackman’s favourite sock revivals.

Could it be that, in the mood for the hemline index, socks are a reaction to the world around us? Blackman reckons there is something in it. She replies: “In times of austerity, you still need socks, right? If you take out yourself to a pair of designer socks, it’s not as guilt-ridden as a larger, high-ticket article.”

She continues: “If you can’t afford the £500 Vetements hoodie, a £50 duo of socks can ease you into the brand.” An easy, inexpensive – at small compared with other gateway items such as T-shirts or things – way to make a statement, all the while pretending you don’t like the attention? Dialect right 2o17.

Justin Trudeau understands the power of a good sock. If you need to know where the Canadian prime minister’s heart perjures, look to his ankles. At Toronto Gay Pride Parade, he wore rainbow-inspired socks inscribed with “Eid Mubarak”, and on “Worldwide Star Wars Day” he sported a mismatched pair featuring R2-D2 and C3PO. Taking virtue signalling or hashtag slacktivism, it’s your chaussettes that indigence to get radical if you want to score political points as an Instagram-ready open. That said, Trudeau’s critics unkindly say provocative or mischievous socks are no replacement for statesmanlike gravitas. But it’s a start.

For anyone who struggles to convey disposition, socks allow that chink of humanity to shine be means of – no mean feat when you’re watching two middle-aged, besuited bureaucrats shake hands and sign a treaty. While I may roll my percipiences at the blatant showboating, I’m certainly here for it – the black socks so worshipped of other politicians are best left to pallbearers and headmasters.

As the time around us changes at a rapid rate, the adage “pull your socks up” has not at any time been more relevant. And as Blackman says: “Socks are colossal conversation-starters. When have you ever had someone come up and say: ‘I definitely like your ankles; where did you get them?’” Particularly. Socks are a welcome distraction – in times of trouble, only a fully adorned ankle intent do.