Made in America

After attending some recent trade shows the intrepid sock specialists at RocknSocks couldn't help noting that a vast majority of sock companies and large department / retail stores import their socks and apparel from China and other overseas manufacturers. A recent report from ABC News found that it's a stark example of a stunning fact: Some 98 percent of the clothing purchased in the United States is imported from abroad. Just two percent of clothing bought in this country is manufactured on U.S. soil. Furthermore, socks and hosiery made in the USA make up less than 1% of the total bought in this country. The product will always be cheaper from China but at what cost to our country?  Check out the report here:


 ABC News Report "Made in America Clothing"

So remember when you buy RocknSocks you are supporting a socially conscious company that supports several domestic sock manufacturers in the good old USA! Furthermore they are committed to using sustainable textiles such as Re-Generated cotton yarns that save energy and resources in the production of the socks. Check out the latest styles in Thigh High, Over the Knee, Knee High, Crew and Ankle lengths at RocknSocks.com!

Most Awesome Socks Commercial Ever -- RocknSocks!

Sassy Sexy Socks Commercial 4 RocknSocks

Behind the Scenes of the RocknSocks Photoshoot

We had a super fun day shooting some of the new 2010 lifestyle shots last Friday and I wanted to share some behind the scenes photos with you. We got a ton of great photos and it'll be a few days before we share the finished product, but here we are in action making it happen.
Special Thanks to every one who ROCKED IT with me.
Photographer: Ross Johnson
Photographer assistants: Cliff ? & Hilary Nichols
Models: Wisteria Loeffler, Jen Fritz, & Justice
Make Up: Heidi Location: Home of Jeff Mogalian
Wardrobe: Dresses by Miranda Caroligne, Wrap Tops by Leom Designs
Jewelry: Cara Ucci
(apologies for not knowing everyone's full names...I wanted to get this post up)

Jen Jen Loves Zebra Stripes!

Heidi makes up Wisty

Setting up the Shot

In the garden

Photographing the Photographer

Getting Warmed Up; a cold day, but Wisty & Jen Jen looked hot!

Ah, rewards for working out in the cold, getting to cuddle in bed.

Sweet Props from Improve Your Home and Garden

Jeannette Hoss recently wrote a very nice article about us at www.ImproveYourHomeandGarden.com

We wanted to share with you the nice words that she wrote about us.

Eco-Friendly & Funky Cotton Socks
I never realized how passionate I am about funky socks until they inadvertently became a popular subject in a photographic experiment of mine. The object was to take a self-portrait every day for one year. Several times I heard friends describe it as a self-centered venture, but for me it was a project of self-discovery.

Now that it’s completed, I look at my collection of photos and noticed a recurring theme: I always wear brightly colored socks. Even on days when I’m required to dress in professional attire, you’ll find me wearing a black pantsuit accentuated by funky-colored, striped socks peeking through the top of my Mary Jane shoes.

Some women coordinate their wardrobe and accessorize with jewelry, I accessorize with socks. I love all colors, patterns, textures, and every size from ankle socks, to knee socks, to thigh-high socks, and even toe socks. If the texture and shape are the same, I like to wear a different sock on each foot to mix patterns and colors.

Cotton Socks for Men and Women

Eco-friendly recycled cotton socks

My favorite kind of socks are made from natural fibers. One of the most creative sock companies is RocknSocks, Willits, CA, whose motto is “Because life’s too short to wear white socks.” The company sells recycled cotton socks for both men and women, as well as a few other recycled cotton accessories, such as arm and leg warmers and fingerless gloves. The company’s cotton socks come from materials that otherwise would be tossed out during the manufacturing process.

Misty Reilly of RocknSocks says wearing recycled cotton socks is eco-friendly for 7 reasons. For every ton (2200 lbs) of recycled cotton yarns used, the manufacturing process saves:

1. 1272.2 gallons of water
2. 36.42 pounds of chemicals
3. emissions of 515.37 pounds of CO2
4. 512.5 kwh of electricty
5. elimination of 944.53 gallons of sewage
6. elimination of 1763.68 pounds of inert waste
7. .4695 acres of land

By repurposing scraps of cotton that are headed to the trash, it saves the time, energy and effort to plant and harvest the crop, conserving land and reducing waste, and the manufacturing process does not include the use of harsh chemicals. As an added bonus, recycled cotton is warm and comfortable, too. More than eco-friendly, they’re fashion-friendly, too, from funky to neutral Earth tones, pastels or vibrant shades of color, available as solids, stripes or patterns.

RocknSocks are not sold in the major national chains, but they can be found in a variety of boutiques and family-owned stores across several states. They also exhibit at the Energy Trust Better Living Show in Portland, OR, held this year on March 26-28, 2010, at the Portland Expo Center.

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2009: The Year in Review...

Well, here we are at the end of 2009 and I suppose I was not the best at keeping you all updated here on the RocknSocks blog. However on the flip side it means that we were busy busy busy making sure that the world got RocknSocks on their feet. And overall I would have to say we have done a pretty good job. We more than doubled the amount of retail locations across North America. We are now in 23 states in the US and 2 provinces in Canada! (Of Course the goal for 2010 will be get into all 50 states! and I think we can do it!)

We traveled up and down the west coast for retail events. We made it to four Green Festivals this year: Seattle, Denver, Washington DC and San Francisco and plan on continuing to attend in 2010. In fact our first major event of 2010 will be the first ever Spring Green Festival San Francisco, where we will be launching our new line of socks. Oh oh oh I am so excited to share these with you they are super cool. We've been developing some great patterns and new designs as well as cool new striped color combos. Also we will have more options for larger footed folks! Yes 2010 is the year that some over the knees and knee highs will be available in both size 9-11 and 10-13. That's SOCK size for those of you who still may be confused on sock vs shoe sizes. Just a reminder that a sock size 9-11 fits a women's shoe size 6 to about a 9 or 10, and a man's shoe size 9 and under. Sock size 10-13 is for those with a shoe size larger than a woman's 10 and a man's 9.

But enough about what's to come. The purpose of this post was to relive some of our favorite moments of 2009. I've included some great photos take from this year to share with you some of the highlights.

So here we are at the San Francisco Green Festival and yes that's Mayor Gavin Newsom and a brand new pair of RocknSocks in his hand! If you are in SF and have not made it to the Green Fest, you are missing out! In fact it was Green Fest 2003 that I decided that what ever kind of business I was going to get involved with it was going to have to "green." Conscious business is the only way to go. Our world is way to fragile to not th ink about the big picture even when you are focusing on the details... like keeping your feet fabulous!


Next up I want to mention Style Caravan.
At the beginning of 2010, a group of my friends and I started Style Caravan, a traveling boutique. The intention of Style Caravan is to bring customers a cohesive group of designs that symbiotically layer to form a fresh look in fashion. Created to promote the individual talents and creativity of each designer, Style Caravan allowed us to maximize our resources and gain exposure as a community. Plus it gave us a chance to have a lot more fun working together at retail events. The photo on the left show is an example of how we put it all together. In November we donated this outfit to the Black Rock Arts Artumnal Gathering for their silent auction.


In September we were featured on the Cover of Aura Magazine. I was interviewed for an article in their monthly wholesale profile. You can read the interview on the archive pages at AuraMag.com.
Big thank you to Geneva Shanti for taking the photos and Amy Semler for letting us put her face on the cover.


Next up we have a series of cuties rockin' it in RocknSocks.





That's miss V-love is the wearing Venus Over the Knee at Earthdance.

Here's a photo of a girl from Union Street Fair who got a limited edition Slick Black and White. They matched her outfit so well, she couldn't wait to put them on.

And here's Special, showing off her brand new Ixchel Over the Knee Socks in the booth at Harmony Festival in June. Special shout out to Special who stepped it up this year and worked for us at various events! Thanks girl. YOU ROCK!

Sara loves her RocknSocks. She's a great model. I think she has one of each of the girls sizes we made. Unless we get a huge demand for the little girl sizes however we are retiring this line for now. We have a limited selection left in kid's sizes so email us directly if you are interested.

Some very happy feet on JamCruise. Deva Over the Knee and Aisha Over the Knee kickin' it on the upper deck.

So it's been quite a year and before it takes me until next year to finish posting some more fun photos. I am going to say good night and have a happy new year! We look forward to treating your feet in 2010. And thank you again for all the support you have shown us along the way.

The whirlwind of fall....

RocknSocks has been on the road for most of the summer, bringing funky foot fashion to festivals around the west. We also made it out east for the DC Green Festival! It was great to be able to introduce our socks to a whole new community. People were loving the tall socks! It was so wonderful to get such a positive response.

More and more stores too are now buying RocknSocks, so people around the country can now get a few pairs in their favorite boutique or natural foods store. From Madison, WI to Chapel Hill, NC; Alberta, Canada to Santa Fe, NM; and of course all up and down the west coast, RocknSocks is hot on the scene.

We did a fun faerie photoshoot this summer with photographer Geneva Shanti and models Amy & Liz. (Thanks ladies!)

Recently we were featured in Aura Magazine (www.auramag.com). I was interviewed about the company and had a chance to share my vision of RocknSocks. You can read it on pages 42 & 43. We also had a featurette in Common Ground Magazine. We are grateful for all the press.

So as summer turns to fall we are preparing for a few great events in San Francisco. RocknSocks will be vending at the Noe Valley Harvest Festival on October 24 and the West Fest's 40th Anniversary Celebration of Woodstock on October 25th at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. And soon after that we will be at the San Francisco Green Festival on November 13, 14 & 15. Stay tuned for more details. Hope to see you soon.

Remember you can always get your RocknSocks at www.rocknsocks.net