With 100 billion items produced every year, it’s no surprise that the fashion industry is known as the second most polluting industry on the planet. From the crops grown and processed to the dyeing and transportation involved, Samantha Tollworthy — founder of USA-made sock company Teddy Locks — is working to reduce that fashion footprint by building a fully sustainable, high-quality hosiery brand.

Today, WAM host Frances Brunelle sits down with Samantha to learn why she left her dream job to chase her passion for sustainability and why she chooses to work directly with the supply chain, running her entire company from North Carolina. They also touch on the delicate balance between motherhood and brand ownership, especially when Samantha’s daughter and sock brand were born around the same time and at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before Teddy Locks, Samantha was a Marine Biologist and Wildlife TV Producer. Her motivation in founding the Green America certified sock brand was to help fight climate change and the war on waste. Building Teddy Locks from the fiber up, Samantha and the brand have now recycled more than 14,000 plastic bottles by turning them into luxuriously soft socks.

Featured Photo Courtesy of teddylocks.com