The History of Hosiery
Stockings are also commonly known as hosiery, hose, and popularly as “nylons”. The first stockings were referred to as hose, from which the term hosiery was derived.
The first recognizable stocking can be tracked to the year 1545. William Lee, an English clergyman, developed the first knitting machine. These first knitted stockings were not seamless and were generally worn by men. “Men [had worn] silk stockings with garters until the end of the 18th century until trousers & socks appeared” (History of Hosiery).
In the 19th century, machine-made, cotton stockings became available for women. The technology remained reasonably static right until the 1930s, when a new circular knitting machine meant garments could be made in one piece, and no longer needed to be sewn together (A Brief History of Stockings).
The stockings market was revolutionized by the change of trends in the 20th Century. It became socially acceptable for women to show their legs. After World War I (1914-1918) short skirts were fashionable and long silk stockings were worn once again. In 1930, the invention of nylon made it an affordable alternative to silk stockings. Around the same time, scientists at the DuPont Company started experimenting in molecular chemistry. Julian Hill was one of the scientists looking for a silk substitute.
Hill discovered that by pulling a heated rod from a mixture of coal tar, water and alcohol a strong, sheer filament formed that was silk-like in appearance. Further research led to the first synthetic fiber, which soon came to be known as nylon. Nylon was shown at the World Trade Fair in New York. The NY from New York provides the first two letters of the name nylon. Two years later, in 1937, DuPont patented the discovery.
With the discovery and ultimate use of Dupont Nylon in the late 30s and early 40s, the popularity of silk in women’s hosiery faded. Silk was ultimately replaced by nylon after the war. It was “challenged by other man-made fibers such as Rayon, Bamberg, and Vilene” (History of Hosiery).
Nylon stockings did not receive social acceptance directly after launch. Cultural adjustment to the new fiber took time. Nylon stockings did not become a part of everyday life immediately. Many events helped contribute to the social acceptance of this new product. Such events included the “1939 New York World’s Fair, World War II, an enthusiastic press response, consumer tests and surveys, retail and marketing programs, and technical issues of manufacture and testing” (Fascinating facts about the invention of Nylon by Wallace Carothers in 1938).
The first nylon stockings appeared in New York stores on May 15, 1940 and over 780,000 pairs were sold in the first day alone. In the first year, 64 million pairs were sold in the US, and “nylons” soon became the generic name for all hosiery products containing nylon (The History of Nylons).
When America entered World War II (1939- 1945), the production of nylon only supplied defensive needs. This meant nylon stockings became very hard to obtain. Overnight, all stockings became hard to find. In the late 1950s yarn manufacturers discovered that they could add stretch to nylon by crimping it under heat, then in 1959 Lycra© was invented by DuPont. It can be stretched up to seven times its original length without breaking; it also recovers its shape.
With the arrival of the mini skirt in the 60s, an alternative to stockings was essential. Tights began dominating the market. Hosiery manufacturers made production improvements by moving away from flat knitting and instead hosiery was knitted in a tube. As a result, seamed hosiery nylons nearly disappeared.Advances in technology and trends have emerged with new fashions. Some favorite trends are fishnets, footless, thigh slimming, tummy controlling, and maternity tights. Tights, hosiery, and stockings are now statement pieces. Express your personality with fun textures, colors, and patterns. Our favorite brands are Falke, Givenchy, Hue, SPANX®, and Wolford. There has never been a better time in history to find the perfect pair of tights!
Work Cited
Duigenan, Elaine “A Brief History of Stockings”
http://www.lensculture.com/nylon2.html
“Fascinating facts about the invention of Nylon by Wallace Carothers in 1938” March, 2005
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/nylon.htm
History of Hosiery
http://stockingirl.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=hosieryhistory
“The History of Nylons”
http://www.mytights.com/mytights/advice/historyofstockings.html
Customer Reviews
Wow,
This was certainly not the type of article I expected to find while shopping for lingerie. It is both fascinating and refreshing to see an online…no wait….ANY-company take such pride in what it specializes in. It’s very rare. It’s also very neat for the younger generation to see, just exactly how these things we’ve come to recognize as staples in our lives, came to be. Thankyou for the insightful article on hoisery and taking enough pride in what you sell to educate the public on this item right down to how and when it started! Great job, and awesome idea!
~Christina G.
Massachuesettes
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