The story behind Solmate Socks

Socks with soul. This is what we think of when we think of Solmate socks. Made in a small town in central Vermont, USA, these knitted foot coverings will warm your heart (and your feet) every time you pop them on & think about the love that has gone into making them!

Solmate Socks will warm your heart and your feet every time you pop them on, knowing they are made by a company committed to protecting the environment, the health and safety of their employees, and the community in which they conduct our business - including the yarns being made from recycled cotton materials. This small company was started by Marianne Wakerlin. But things really started with her mother (the company is named after her mom, Sunny), who taught Marianne how to knit when she was nine. Marianne continued a life long enthusiasm for knitting, but it wasn't until she started knitting socks that her real passion was born. Over the years Marianne knit over one hundred pairs of socks for family and friends. She then decided to turn her hobby into a business and in the year 2000 Solmate Socks was born. Her colorful and complex patterns are knit in the USA at a family owned knitting mill, hand finished and then "mismatched with care." Solmate Socks are (and always have been) committed to protecting the environment, the health and safety of their employees, and the community in which they conduct our business. They adhere to the Vermont Business Environmental Partnership standards, by continuously seeking out improvements throughout their business operations to lessen the impact on the local and global environment by conserving energy, water, and other natural resources; reducing waste generation; recycling and purchasing recycled products; and, reducing the use of toxic products. They are committed to pollution prevention, continual improvement and meeting or exceeding all environmental regulatory requirements. In some more concrete terms, the socks are crafted with care in the USA from recycled cotton. By sourcing cotton yarns from recycled materials Solmate Socks are creating an environmentally responsible cotton product by reducing the amount of virgin cotton that needs to be grown and at the same time helping to reduce landfill waste. In addition, they offer a scheme to non-profit groups where they can sell Solmate Socks to fundraise. One successful outcome of this scheme provided an African village with a cistern, hand-washing building and opportunities that clean, running water affords such communities. Available in sizes from baby to adult in gorgeous "mismatched" patterns. The baby & kids Solmate Socks come in packs of 5 or 3, for all those times you can't find a matching pair of socks! And, for Winter we currently have adult long socks in lovely nordic patterns. See the full range of Solmate Socks