It’s always a bit dangerous, opening those sumptuous clothes catalogues from the likes of Toast and Howies. Buying into the wholesome organic life of beachcombing and dog walking shown in the pictures isn’t cheap. So far, the few treasures I own bearing those coveted labels are either hand-me-downs or they were going cheap in the sales.

So when I got an email telling me about a £125 pair of organic Cornish woollen socks from James Purdey & Sons, I very nearly sent it straight to the trash can. Scrolling down, I couldn’t even afford the hand warmers at £115.

Yes, very eco-chic, very cottage industry, I thought, as I read the story behind the socks: they started life on National Trust and Duchy Original farms in Cornwall, were knitted within the county itself, the farmers were “paid properly for their fleece”, and the rustic hues of ecru, charcoal and green came from vegetable dyes… If only we could all afford to support this pastoral idyll.

What stood out, though, was a quirky little detail in the label - the date the sheep was sheared. The company is calling it the “first fully traceable organic wool”. Certainly makes a change from your average clothes label, which usually has something to hide. ‘Made in Turkey’, it says, tight-lipped. ‘And we’re not telling you how.’ What a luxury to be able to pull on a pair of socks without blanking out those sweatshop images, and to picture the warm May day they came into existence.

While the shearing date might not be an essential piece of information (unlike a use-by-date, for example), I like the way it connects a shopper to the world behind the product. We’re starting to see it on food packets – the name and picture, even, of the farmer who grew your Waitrose carrots, of the family who picked your Fruit Passion orange juice. Unlike the slightly gnomic carbon labels on packets of Walkers crisps, this isn’t just a number (that’s probably more helpful to the company doing the audit than it is to the customer) but a story.

You might think it’s verging on the ridiculous. Next thing we’ll be told is that our milk came from Daisy, a Friesian born on 25th October. But if that’s the way to appeal to us middle class ethical consumers, who like earning Brownie points through shopping, why not?

I’m not sure I’ll ever be needing a pair of ‘shooting socks and garters’ for £190, but perhaps one day all my woollens will come with a ‘sheared on’ label.