FAQ
Why does it matter that Maggie's products are organic? You don't eat your socks.
Skin is our biggest organ. It is important to consider what you’re putting on your body as well as what you’re putting in it. Conventional cotton is one of the most pesticide-laden crops in world. Cotton is grown on 3-5% of the world’s cultivated land yet uses 10% of the world's pesticides and 23-25% of the world’s insecticides each year. Five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are classified as "probably carcinogens" by the EPA.
Conventional cotton farming allows the use of these agrochemicals, which are not only irritating to the skin, but also frequently destructive to groundwater, natural habitats, soil fertility, and public health. Organic, regenerative farming standards are based upon the use of materials and practices that enhance ecological balance and forbid the use of harsh pesticides, herbicides, defoliants, and synthetic fertilizers.
Does Maggie's have a store location?
Maggie’s does not have an in-person retail store. All products are available for sale through our website anytime. Our products are also sold by many retailers throughout the USA. For information on store locations that carry Maggie's products near you, please contact us.
Why aren't Maggie's socks 100% cotton or 100% wool?
Maggie’s includes a percentage of other fibers (nylon, spandex, and Repreve) in addition to organic cotton or organic wool to help ensure our socks are durable, maintain their fit, and feel great. These fibers ensure the stretch and recovery of our socks and preserves the life of the sock. We work with our knitters to provide the highest amount of organic content while maintaining the integrity and functionality of each sock style.
We regularly test each sock style at a third-party testing facility to verify the exact fiber contents down to the 1/10 of one percent. We list every fiber component by name on our labels because Maggie’s believes in transparency and honesty. The FTC suggests not naming fibers that make up 5% or less of a sock, but we want our customers to know exactly what our socks are made of. At Maggie’s we believe in the full disclose of all components in each product we make.
Product contents are listed on each product page.
I have allergies. Does Maggie's use latex?
No. We do not use latex (rubber) in our socks. Maggie's socks are primarily made from organic cotton or organic wool, with a mix of nylon and spandex. Exact contents of each sock are located on its product page and printed on every individual product. If you have specific allergy concerns, we recommend speaking with your doctor. For those with severe skin sensitivity, we offer a special style called the Allergy Crew socks.
I'm allergic to detergent. Are your products detergent-free?
Our cotton is scoured (washed) during processing, using non-silicone detergent that does not contain petroleum solvents and less chemicals than normal detergents. We never allow "anti-wrinkle agents" to be used in any Maggie’s product. Full detailed standards for our detergents can be found in the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS).
What does "natural" mean?
There is no universal definition for the word “natural” as it applies to clothing. To us at Maggie’s, it means the primary content of every product is an organic fiber that grows in nature, and is minimally processed.
Are the colors in Maggie's products all nautral?
No, the dyes we use are not all natural. We work hard to source low impact, color-fast eco dyes that use less water, less heat, no formaldehyde, no carcinogens or mutagens, vs their conventional counter parts. We tried natural dyes when we started, but cotton is very oily. Oil and the water in dyestuff repel, meaning much of these "natural" dyestuffs ended up going down the drain. The waste plus the harshness of mordant required to get the natural dyes to stay on our cotton were worse for the environment. All of our dyestuffs meet the stringent dyeing standards in the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), meaning they are the most environmental dyes available that still provide colorfastness.
What does naturally bleached mean?
We use hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine to create our white and we refuse to use optical whiteners in our processing. Hydrogen peroxide degrades easily and safely into oxygen and water and even helps neutralize the effluent water from dye factories. In contrast, chlorine is toxic and has a long half-life, taking a very long time to degrade, and optical whiteners do not degrade at all. Our process produces a softer white than others processes because it leaves a small amount of the cotton’s natural hue. Unbleached cotton out of the field is a creamy milky color that varies from field to field.
How much can I expect Maggie's apparel and socks to shrink?
Shrink varies slightly in each different run of fabric, but in general, if washed and dried according to our instructions, our apparel will shrink between 5% and 7% (approximately 1” in the width and length of most garments). This shrink will occur during the first three washings. To avoid shrinkage, wash at lower temperatures and minimize machine drying (also better for the environment and helps clothes last longer). Socks will shrink a bit as well if they are machine dried, but due to our construction and the yarns we use, they will stretch right back to fit your feet.
Why don't you have socks for men?
Maggie’s socks are available in all gender sizing. Men wearing shoe size of 8 -12 wear a size L Maggie’s socks. Shoe sizes from 12.5 up can wear our XL size.
How does Maggie's make sure products are not made in sweatshops?
We believe in transparency throughout our supply chain and honoring all of the hands that work to make Maggie’s products. Before working with a new vendor, we require full disclosure of working conditions and production standards. A questionnaire for each supplier reports specifically on average salary, highest and lowest wages, average overtime (always paid at 1.5 time regular wage), employee benefits, health care, etc. is always reviewed. In most cases, we also visit the facilities and interview workers as well as management before our first order is completed, and then again annually. The labor standards we use are based upon those of the internationally recognized grassroots anti-sweatshop organization: The Clean Clothes Campaign.
Through the years, Maggie’s has been vetted by many fair trade and labor organizations both private and public and has received third party verifications.
In a study funded by the US Department of State, call Free2Work, Maggie's received the highest rating of over 300 apparel brands.
We are a Guaranteed Member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), which means ourselves and our suppliers have been audited according to their Guarantee System.
Maggie’s has direct contracts with each step of our supply chains, from the field to the finished product. To learn more about how each of our products are made, visit Behind the Label.
We are also certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), and unless we are using new dye techniques or fibers, our apparel conforms to either the “organic” or “made with organic” categories. The aim of the standard is to ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through all manufacturing steps up to labelling.
Are Maggie's products vegan?
All Maggie’s products are vegan except those made with Organic Merino Wool.
How does Maggie's ensure that the sheep that produce our wool are treated humanely?
Maggie’s only uses Certified Organic Wool in our products. The sheep that produce our organic wool must be treated according to the same standard as livestock grown for food (to USDA’s federal requirements for organic certification).
These include:
• Livestock feed and forage used from the last third of gestation must be organic.
• Use of synthetic hormones and genetic engineering is prohibited.
• Use of synthetic pesticides (internal, external, and on pastures) is prohibited.
• Producers must encourage livestock health through good cultural and management practices.
Detailed standards for how our wool is processed can be found in the Global Organic Textile Standards.
Will organic socks help with my husband's stinky feet?
Maggie’s organic cotton socks are soft, comfortable, and breathable without many of the synthetic fibers found in most socks. Or try our organic wool socks, which naturally absorbs moisture up to 35% of its weight, keeping feet cool and dry.
Why doesn't Maggie's carry hemp products anymore?
We formerly purchased all of our organic hemp from a group of cooperative farmers in France. They used dew retting to remove the fiber and had great labor practices. Unfortunately, these farmers discontinued their growing of organic hemp. We continue to seek out another source that follows our standards of farming and social practices. Please contact us if you know of any – noting that we do not purchase from China.
Why doesn't Maggie's use bamboo fibers?
Most bamboo fiber used in apparel products is actually Rayon, a manufactured fiber that is often made from wood but can also be made from bamboo. Even though bamboo itself requires little to no chemicals to grow, rayon manufacturing uses highly toxic chemicals to turn the bamboo into yarn. In addition, this processing removes the natural properties of the original material, meaning rayon made from bamboo does not retain the anti-microbial benefits of the original bamboo.
Why are my socks a different shade than they looked on the website?
We use low-impact dyes for our yarns and fabrics, and they produce unique color variations. Occasionally, due to customer feedback or availability, we will make a slight change to a shade. We try to always update the photo on the website, but if you have caught us before that has happened or you are in anyway unsatisfied when you receive your items, please initiate a return or contact us.
Are all of your packaging materials good for the planet?
Starting from the outside in: When we ship your items in boxes, you will notice that these boxes frequently have been reused. When you open your box, your items are either wrapped in recycled paper or a bag made from recyclable paper or plastic. All our paper hang tags are made from recycled paper. Where possible, we attach these tags using hemp string and reusable metal safety pins. On our socks, we use plastic tach-its and hooks because it is the most friendly option in terms of labor and cost for the small family businesses that knit our socks in the United States. Consider that most clothing manufacturers are offshore in larger facilities and have more labor to expend on more intensive packaging. It is our longer-term goal to move away from plastics entirely and to find something that works well for our manufacturers as well as our retail customers. This information can also be found on our packaging page.