Well-Loved
We believe in buying less and wearing things longer.
Our socks are meant to be used often. Like anything well-loved, they'll show wear over time. That's not a defect. That's the point.
The life of a pair
Send us a photo. Get 20% off.
When a pair is finally done, photograph it and email it to us with your order number if you still have it. We'll reply with a code within two business days.
hello@woolenkin.comOne code per pair. No time limit. A sock that took four years to wear out still counts.
Or just show us
You don't have to wait until they're worn through. If you're wearing a pair you like, send that photo too: on a walk, under a desk, on a radiator, on a dog. We'd rather see socks being worn than styled on a white background, and with your permission we'll share some in our Journal.
Softened, a little pilled, still going. This is what we mean by well-loved.
Recycling your socks
Worn-out socks are one of the hardest textiles to recycle. Too small for most donation streams, too blended for curbside. But they don't have to go in the trash.
Where to send them: three options that work
Mail-in bags
Two national programs take worn-out socks by mail, including single socks and the kind of thing a donation bin would throw away. Both charge for the bag. That's the honest trade: it costs something to have textiles sorted properly rather than buried or shipped abroad.
Trashie Take Back Bag. Fill it with clothes, shoes, linens and socks in any condition, then send it back with free UPS shipping. You earn store credit toward gift cards for each bag you return. trashie.io
Retold Recycling. Mail-in bags for textiles, and they explicitly accept single socks and worn-out items other programs turn away. Bags come with a prepaid label, or buy multi-packs more cheaply and add your own postage. retoldrecycling.com
Smartwool's Second Cut Project
Smartwool collects worn-out socks and remakes the reclaimed fiber into new socks, fleece and slippers. It's currently built around their own products, and the mail-in bag is ordered alongside a Smartwool purchase, so it's a good route if you're buying from them anyway and less useful if you're not. Second Cut Project
Find a drop-off near you
Many towns and states run textile collection separately from curbside recycling, and it's usually free. Search your zip code at Earth911, or check your state environmental agency. Most publish a directory.
We're not affiliated with any of these programs and earn nothing if you use them. They're simply the ones we'd use ourselves. Programs change their pricing and terms, so check before you order.
One honest note
Our socks are 70% merino wool, 27% polyamide and 3% elastane. The wool is biodegradable; the rest isn't. Please don't compost them or put them in yard waste. That 30% is plastic, and it stays plastic. Textile recycling is the right route.
Caring for them in the meantime
Machine wash cold. Air dry only, never a tumble dryer. And wash them less than you think: merino is naturally odor-resistant, so airing them out between wears is usually enough. Washing is most of what wears a sock out.