This Fun Sustainable Sock Brand Is Definitely The Vibe For Spring

There’s a new DOPE GOTs certified organic cotton sock brand on the market and we’re obsessed!

We got to chat with founder Stephen Steele, founder of Kind Socks who not only has incredible ethically produced socks but has a brand that’s fun, inclusive and alive!

Why did you start Kind Socks?

So where to begin...I started Kind Socks pretty much by accident. I have an obsession with socks. Basically, the only finding boring organic cotton, bamboo or hemp socks. I wanted something to fix my personality. And with a background in digital communication, I decided to develop some that would meet to a huge need in the market currently. I also wanted to make a difference in the world but never realised we could possibly do it with fashion.

The sock industry is as a wasteful as the whole textile industry. More than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States, and the amount has doubled over the last 20 years. In 2014, over 16 million tons of textile waste was generated, according to the U.S. EPA.

But the damage its in causing is upsetting - Regular cotton is grown on the same soil over and over again, degrading the soil quality, removing nutrients, and leading to unhealthy crops. Since these crops require more water, they are irrigated heavily, resulting in water wastage. Organic cotton is rotated from one soil to another, and the nutrients retain water for long, requiring less irrigation. This leads to healthier crops.

That's why one of the key goals for Kind Socks is the ability of its consumer to recycle their socks. And for Kind Socks to have recycled whole range of recycled socks.

How do you define sustainability? How is your brand considered sustainable (material sourcing, certifications, dying, fair trade, etc.)?

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I define sustainability as not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long term ecological balance. Currently, Kind Socks using organic cotton which is fairtrade and GOTs (Global Textual Standard certified). Also, we are trying to use recycled material with packaging labels and in the process of making our website co2netural website.

We currently working with https://www.co2neutralwebsite.com/. Who will calculate the CO2 emissions from your website and through their climate projects, we reduce a similar amount of CO2.

Another key objective is to have a small footprint as possible. Some people may say we are too ambitious but small steps are better than none!

The Important tenants of GOTs certification are:

Fibre Production

Organic certification of fibres on basis of recognised international or national standards

Processing and Manufacturing
At all stages, through the processing, organic fibre products must be separated from conventional fibre products and must to be clearly identified
Bleaches must be based on oxygen (no chlorine bleaching)

Supply Chain
Operators from post-harvest handling up to garment making and traders have to undergo an onsite annual inspection cycle and must hold a valid GOTS scope certificate applicable for the production/trade of the textiles to be certified

LABEL-GRADES
≥ 95% certified organic fibres, ≤ 5 % non-organic natural or synthetic fibres

Does being a Black person / Person of color influence your brand? If so, how/why?

Yes, it has influenced the brand but my personality has the biggest influence on the brand. I would describe my personality as bright, Idealist and laid back. This inspires the brand goals that I set. I really believe conscious businesses should be not a trend but the norm.

Who/ What inspires your brand the most?

Veja. The sneaker brand because of their transparency. where their goal has been to develop a sustainable brand that is also stylish.