Abstract: There is disclosed a composite sock which consists of an inner stretchable fabric envelope, a bag-like barrier component which is liquid water impermeable, and water vapour permeable, and a second or outer stretchable fabric envelope. The inner envelope is attached to the barrier component, the barrier component is attached to the outer envelope, the arrangement being such as to allow circumferential stretching of the composite sock. The inner stretchable fabric envelope or the outer stretchable fabric envelope or both is a circular knitted sock. The composite sock has elastic properties such that it can be stretched at least in the X direction to at least 50% extension, and such that when a sample taken from the leg of the composite sock just above the ankle, the sample being 5 cm by 10 cm with the 10 cm dimension aligned in the X direction is extended on a tensometer at 100 mm per minute to 15 cms length (i.e.