Hello, Mantyhose fans! I wanted for a long time already to introduce this special mantyhose person to you. He lives in USA and takes pride in wearing fun hosiery with shorts. Most mantyhose wearers keep it basic, but this man loves to show it off.
His blog – http://thehosieryspot.blogspot.ca/
I especially enjoyed to read his section about favourite brands, as he explains why he likes them.
English Translation by Michel
SOURCES:
The dialog is from here: http://youtu.be/3EZ6OjH1TvU Similar show with the same topic: http://youtu.be/3jnaUDy9_ys
Host : It’s 11:05 am, and 11:05 is scoop time. No, you are not dreaming, I won’t tell you the name of the mysterious character, the one that will allow you to win an invitation to Olivier Eltzer’s restaurant. I won’t even tell you a second clue. It will be some time later. No, no I have a real scoop. Are you ready to hear it? Men are at last equal to women. I know it’s quite provocative for a scoop, but it’s indeed the case. We, men, we can, from now on, wear pantyhose and knee-high. Thanks to these ladies. Hello!
Lady 1 (in black dress): Hello!
Lady 2 (white jacket): Hello!
Host : Hello to Annie and Anne-Marie. You come to show us a product : pantyhose for men.
Lady outside frame (1 or 2): Indeed.
Host: Why pantyhose for men? Was there a demand?
Lady 1: Yes, there was. Since the opening of our website, we had daily requests from men to have a pantyhose designed especially for them. So, we have thought about it, and this year Gerbe decided to exert its savoir-faire to men.
Host: So it means, it’s not a marketing idea at first? It’s really the male customers who asked for it?
Lady 1: That’s right! It’s the demand of the market, and we have asked these men their help by asking them what kind of product they wanted.
Lady 2: They told us: “We want this. We usually buy pantyhose like those for our wives, but we would like a line especially for us”. Why would pantyhose only reserved to ladies? So, we took this like something not conformist. We thought: “It will stay very very marginal”. Then, in at a second thought, as we were facing the demand, we talked about it and we said: “Why not? We should start. There may be something to do in that domain.” And so, that why it started, and…
two male models – one in footless hosiery and one in sheer hosiery
Lady 1: …since March 5th, we launched this line for men.
Host: So Annie, what is the assessment?
Lady 1: It’s very positive. It goes even beyond our expectations. It’s so positive that we will improve this range that presently consists of 4 pantyhose and knee-high, by adding 2 new pantyhose. So the “Drain Up 40” pantyhose…
Host: … that I am actually wearing right now, I dare to say. I will ask the camera to make a close caption. (To the camera operator) Come in. Come in. (To the audience) Strip-tease moment in this show. Look! I will not take off my pants. So, effectively, I am wearing these pantyhose.
Lady 1: …opaque, 40 deniers, draining and relaxing. I think you can…
Host: Effectively, I feel freshness at the bottom of my feet.
Lady 1: That’s right. It’s made on purpose.
Lady 2: It’s especially recommended for people who stand up or sat down for long periods of time.
Host: Cooks, for example?
Lady 2: Indeed, also barbers, or people who take planes, who sat down a long time in planes, on long trips, who feel pain in their legs, can wear that kind of product. And we already have feedback, given we already had this product for women and they were very happy about it.
Host: Is it a bit like compression stockings? I already knew compression stockings that can be purchased in pharmacies. It’s a bit similar.
Pantyhose for men have some modifications to the fit.
Lady 2: If you want, but a slight compression.
Lady 1: Preventive compression.
Lady 2: Preventive and it’s also for comfort. For well-being.
Lady 1: Draining and relaxing.
Lady 2: By the way, at the end of the show, you will tell me how good it is!
Host: All right. What are your arguments to sell pantyhose to a man? I imagine there’s a psychological barrier to break, right?
Lady 1: No, given it’s a demand from the market, so it’s very easy for us to respond.
Host: So what do they tell you?
Lady 1: There is a specific demand, given there are specific products. There are men who ask for very sheer products. So there are 2 styles.
Host: Precisely, Phatty is wearing them!
A male model, Phatty, shows up on screen.
Lady 1: That’s right!
Host: Precisely, that is a real revolution in the domain of male fashion, comparatively to classic styles every woman wears.
Lady 1: Correct. We had to do it, given we were asked for it.
Lady 2: I must add, it’s adapted to the male morphology.
Host: We’ll ask Phatty. (To Phatty) Is it comfortable?
Phatty: Yes it is. It’s quite fresh at the bottom. It’s refreshing. But it’s true that…
Lady 2: (To Phatty) It sure makes you pretty legs! (To the host) It can be worn with a bermuda. Given men asked for it could be worn with a bermuda. Or wear with a skirt or a dress, and I am speaking here absolutely seriously. Or, alternatively with pants, to feel a little bit warmer, to feel the fabric on the legs, to feel the elasthan on the legs, that applies a slight compression to the legs. (To Phatty) You must feel your legs encased in the pantyhose. (To the Host) And it’s true that we had very positive feedback, given it’s the style that tops the sales, and I must say, Annick, since the start of the commercialization, that is, since the beginning of March, we sold more than 1,000 pairs and all styles added, more than 1,500. It encourages us to continue, and to respond positively to the demand.
Lady 1: The demand now, is new fabrics and new colors, so it’s obvious we won’t stop now.
Host: Is the mentality evolving?
Lady 2: Absolutely! Mentality is evolving, and I find that just right. I must say that these pantyhose are adapted to the male morphology, so there’s a front opening that is well adapted to male morphology. (To Phatty) I don’t know what you think about it, Phatty.
Host: He looks happy.
Lady 2: He looks happy. Everything is all right. And I think he will be from now on a regular user of pantyhose.
Phatty: Yes indeed!
Lady 2: We will make the warm tights too.
Lady 1: Especially made for Winter. For cold sensitive men.
Host: We will invite you again in December.
Lady 2: These are tights made of silk Rhovyl (clothing fiber), that is very warm, that can be worn with a comfortable outfit, sport or ski outfit. Our male customers are free.
Host: Annick, Anne-Marie, thank you very much for having presented us this innovation.
Lady 2: It’s us who thank you.
Host: And myself, I keep my pantyhose on.
Lady 2: All right. No problem! That way, you will tell us again about it in December.
Host: Absolutely! Thank you, ladies!
Men in Gerbe pantyhose
Original text in French:
Présentateur : Il est 11h05, et 11h05 c’est l’heure du scoop. Alors, non, ne rêvez pas, je ne vais pas vous donner le nom du personnage mystérieux, celui qui vous permettra de gagner une invitation au restaurant Olivier Eltzer. Je ne vais même pas vous donner un deuxième indice. Ce sera pour dans quelques instants. Non, non, j’ai un véritable scoop. Etes-vous prêts à l’entendre ? L’homme est enfin l’égal de la femme. Je sais que c’est un peu provoc comme scoop, mais c’est le cas, en effet. Nous autres les hommes, nous pouvons désormais porter des collants et des mi-bas, grâce à ces dames. Bonjour.
Dame 1 (robe noire) : Bonjour.
Dame 2 (veste blanche) : Bonjour.
Présentateur : Bonjour à Annie, bonjour à Anne-Marie. Vous venez nous présenter un produit : des collants pour hommes.
Dame hors écran : Effectivement.
Présentateur : Pourquoi des collants pour hommes ? Il y avait vraiment une demande ?
Dame 1 : Oui, on a depuis quelques mois, dès l’ouverture de notre site Internet, des demandes quotidiennes de la part de ces messieurs, pour avoir un collant qui leur soit spécialement réservé. Donc nous nous y sommes attentionnés, et cette année, Gerbe a décidé de dédier son savoir-faire à la gente masculine.
Photos of men in pantyhose by Gerbe
Présentateur : Donc, ce qui veut dire que ce n’était pas une idée marketing à la base, ce sont vraiment les clients qui vous ont réclamé ce produit ?
Dame 1 : Tout à fait ! C’est la demande du marché, et nous avons mis très largement tous ces messieurs à contribution en leur posant des questions quant au produit qu’ils souhaitaient vois se développer.
Dame 2 : Ils nous ont dit « On veut ça. On achète habituellement des collants comme pour nos femmes, mais on aimerait bien avoir une ligne spécialement pour nous. » Pourquoi le collant serait réservé uniquement aux femmes ?
Et voilà ! Donc on a pris ça d’une façon un peu marginale. On s’est dit : « Ca va rester très très marginal ». Puis après, devant l’afflux de la demande, on s’est concerté, et on s’est dit : « Et pourquoi pas ? Si on se lançait ? Il y a peut-être quelque chose à faire dans ce domaine. » Et voilà. L’aventure a commencé, et…
Dame 1 : …depuis le 5 Mars, nous avons lancé cette ligne homme.
Présentateur : Alors Annie, justement un petit bilan. ?
Dame 1 : Un bilan très positif, qui va même au-delà?de nos espérances. Tellement positif que nous allons étoffer cette gamme qui est composée actuellement de quatre modèles de collants et de mi-bas, de deux nouveaux modèles de collants. Donc, le collant « Drain Up 40 »
Présentateur : …que je porte sur moi, il faut bien le dire. On va demander à?la caméra de se rapprocher. (Au cameraman) Venez, venez ! (Au public) Séquence strip-tease, un petit peu dans cette émission. Regardez. Alors je ne vais pas enlever mon pantalon. Effectivement, je porte ce collant.
Dame 1 : … opaque, 40 deniers, drainant et relaxant, qui soulage. Je pense que vous pouvez…
Présentateur : Justement, j’éprouve une sensation de fraicheur, en bas du pied.
Dame 1 : Absolument, c’est fait pour.
Dame 2 : Il est surtout recommandé pour les personnes qui sont en station debout prolongée ou assis très longtemps.
Présentateur : Les cuisiniers, par exemple ?
Dame 2 : Absolument. Les coiffeurs, les personnes qui prennent l’avion, qui sont assises très longtemps dans l’avion, lors de grands trajets et qui, effectivement, pour éviter la sensation de jambes lourdes, peuvent porter ce type de produit. Et nous avons déjà?des retours, puisque nous avions déjà?ce modèle pour femmes, et les clientes ont ont été très satisfaites.
Présentateur : Est-ce un peu comme les bas de contention ? Moi, je connaissais les bas de contention, qu’on achetait en pharmacie. C’est un peu le même système.
Dame 2 : Si vous voulez, de contention légère.
Dame 1 : …de prévention.
Dame 2 : de prévention, et c’est aussi un certain confort. Un bien-être.
Dame 1 : Drainant et relaxant.
Dame 2 : D’ailleurs, à?la fin de l’émission, vous m’en direz des nouvelles.
Présentateur : Très bien. Quels sont vos arguments pour vendre un collant à?un homme ? Moi, je pense qu’il y a une barrière psychologique à?franchir, non ?
Dame 1 : Non, puisque la demande vient du marché, donc c’est très facile pour nous d’y répondre.
Présentateur : Mais alors, qu’est-ce qu’ils vous disent ?
Dame 1 : Il y a une demande différente, puisqu’il y a différents produits. Il y a des messieurs qui demandent des produits relativement fins. Donc il y a deux modèles.
Présentateur : Justement, Phatty en porte.
Apparaà?t à?l’image un mannequin homme, Phatty…
Drain Up 40 den – popular style
Dame 1 : Voila.
Présentateur : Justement, à?a, c’est une vraie révolution dans le domaine de la mode masculine, par rapport au modèle classique que portent toutes les femmes.
Dame 1 : Voilà?. Il fallait le faire, puisqu’on nous l’a demandé.
Dame 2 : Mais qui est quand même, il faut le préciser, adapté à?la morphologie masculine.
Présentateur : On va demander à?Phatty. C’est confortable ?
Phatty : Oui, c’est assez frais. C’est frais en bas. Ca rafraichit. Mais c’est vrai que à?a….
Dame 2 : (A Phatty) Ah oui, à?a vous fait de belles jambes ! (au présentateur) On peut le porter avec un bermuda. Puisque ces messieurs l’ont demandé, pour porter avec un bermuda. Pour porter avec une jupe, une robe, et je suis en train de parler tout à?fait sérieusement. Ou encore, sous un pantalon, pour avoir un peu plus chaud, pour avoir une sensation de matière sur la jambe. Pour avoir aussi une sensation d’élasthanne qui fait une contention légère sur la jambe. (A Phatty) Vous devez sentir vos jambes qui sont bien tenues dans le collant. (Au présentateur) et c’est vrai qu’on a eu des retombées très positives, puisque c’est celui qui arrive en tête des ventes, et, il faut oser le dire, Annick : depuis le début que nous l’avons commercialisé, c’est-à?-dire, début Mars, nous en sommes déjà?à?plus de mille collants vendus, et en tout nous en somme à?mille cinq cent. Ca nous encourage quand même à?continuer, et à?répondre toujours présent à?la demande.
Dame 1 : La demande, maintenant, c’est des nouvelles matières, de nouveaux coloris, donc on voit effectivement qu’on ne s’arrêtera pas là?.
Présentateur : La mentalité évolue ?
Dame 2 : Absolument ! La mentalité évolue, et je trouve à?a très bien. On doit ajouter que ce collant est adapté à?la morphologie masculine, et vous avez une ouverture transversale qui est justement bien adaptée à?la morphologie masculine. (A Phatty) Je ne sais pas ce que vous en pensez, Phatty.
Présentateur : Il a l’air content.
Dame 2 : Il a l’air content. Tout va bien. Et je pense qu’il sera désormais un adepte du collant.
Phatty : Oui !
Dame 2 : Nous allons faire le collant chaud, aussi.
Dame 1 : Spécialement conà?u pour l’hiver. Pour les messieurs qui sont frileux.
Présentateur : On vous réinvitera au mois de Décembre.
Dame 2 : Absolument. Un collant qui est en Rhovyl soie, et qui est très très chaud et qui peut se porter soit en tenue confort, soit en tenue sportive, en combinaison de ski. Ces messieurs sont libres.
There is a demand for men’s pantyhose.
Présentateur : Annick, Anne-Marie, merci beaucoup de nous avoir présenté cette innovation.
Dame 2 : C’est nous qui vous remercions.
Présentateur : Et moi, je garde mon collant.
Dame 2 : Tout à?fait. Pas de problèmes ! Justement, comme à?a, en Décembre, vous nous en direz, des nouvelles !
Présentateur : Absolument ! Merci, mesdames.
*I would like to thank Michel, a very kind reader, who surprised me with this translation. I am so grateful for his help.*
*Friends, the only funding for this blog is from the shop section. Please indulge your pantyhose obsession and show some support for my work! Your purchases make this blog possible.*
Note: Gerbe pantyhose for men are no longer produced.
Japanese, an extra-ordinary nation, came up with a new game – pantyhose tug of war.
Two men put pantyhose legs over their head and who ever pulls it off the other one is the winner.
You can see in the background women laughing like never before. The winner stands proudly with white pantyhose over his head for a while, enjoying the feeling of nylon victory.
You can see the full video here:
Cheers to Japanese humour and to Japanese pantyhose quality that won’t rip even if Tsumo wrestlers try!
*Friends, the only funding for this blog is from the shop section. Please indulge your pantyhose obsession and show some support for my work! Your purchases make this blog possible.*
Look what I found floating on the internet… Not on purpose, I was simply looking for marketing information on pantyhose for an article that I want to put together. I won’t release the topic just yet, but I promise it will generate a lot of noise.
2nd Skin Pantyhose Marketing Plan seems to touch on competition (Under Armour), but somehow I find their financial projections to be almost absent. I’d expect to see some kind of focus groups personally in that section.
Manufacturers of panty hose have long recognized that there is a vast untapped market for their product: men seeking relief from wind and cold. However, panty hose manufacturers have been unable to tap directly into this market because of the stigma associated with men wearing what are considered women’s undergarments. This research presents a strategy to openly market panty hose to men and take advantage of this opportunity.
View the rest of the marketing plan here:
http://fundworx.com/pdfs/Marketing_PlanPantyHosePosted031611.pdf
I realize that this is available to public, hence I see no problem talking about it on my blog. But if 2nd Skin people decide they don’t like it, please tell me and I’ll take this post down right away.
For me personally the most interesting part of the document is the sources since I’d love to get my hands on actual goods.
Saturday: February 2, 2013
12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
People keep on asking me where I buy my lingerie. Well, either in Europe or in places that import it from Europe. I would like to recommend one of my favourite lingerie stores in Vancouver that has a broad collection of swimwear, lingerie, hosiery, and accessories. The owner is a very sweet Polish lady. LGTB- friendly, in case some of you are wondering. Recently they added a whole vintage section there.
Dolce Amore Lingerie and Swimwear
772 Thurlow Street (in the courtyard behind the Starbucks on Robson)
Can you come? Please let me know.
This painting is called “The Muse” and it is by the Russian artist, Stanislav Plutenko. Girls in stockings is the main focus, but if you look at the background, you can see in what detail he painted the men watching – each one of them has his own character, his own story.
http://www.plutenko.ru/
I am excited because this is actually the first time I am doing an interview for another blog. Andreas Lucius, the owner of Legwear Fashion for Men, is a real trend setter when it comes to wearing tights as a fashion garment.
Some sample questions from the discussion that I answered:
Why do I love hosiery?
What do I think of men who wear it?
Would I date someone who wears it?
What style would work nicely with hosiery for a man?
Fantasy Stockings is pleased to present this interview with CJ from TightsFashion, a UK-based website that provides comparison of hosiery brands and presents a lot of useful information and beautiful photos.
How did you decide to start your site? Many people like the product, but only a few decide to go as far as you with the idea.
It might surprise visitors to TightsFashion on to know that there was a time when I had no interest in tights and knew nothing about them. An engineer by training and careful with money by nature I was alarmed by how often my wife threw out tights and bought new pairs. To cut a long story short I did some testing together with my wife to find a brand and style of hosiery that would offer the optimum value for money… the most durability for least cost while at the same time looking good.
TightsFashion was more of an accident than a plan. I was experimenting with a few things relating to search engine rankings for another project and decided to set up a site in another area entirely to test the ideas. I had some data on tights/pantyhose to hand from my earlier research with my wife so decided to use that as the content to save time and effort.
Then I was approached by a hosiery retailer wanting me to become an affiliate and carry advertising… the rest as they say is history.
Do you have any totally wild and outrageous ideas for hosiery photoshoots that you would like to create?
I have one idea, but perhaps not one to share with your readers. I would love to shoot a transsexual model, but in such a way that it was not apparent what she was; that is pass her off as just another young woman.
Why? You might ask. Well there was a rumour some years ago that a major hosiery retailer was using a model of this type on their packaging, the suggestion being that people who are genetically male don’t get cellulite. I have no idea if that is true, but if they could get away with it then why couldn’t I.
You probably meet men who actually enjoy wearing hosiery. Do you feel that there is a good market for men’s hosiery?
Hosiery for men is a tricky topic. I think men make up a significant part of the hosiery buying and hosiery wearing population, particularly on-line. The problem is that many/most of those men are not buying for reasons of fashion.
Some men are buying to keep warm or for medical reasons, a lot of specialist make hosiery has more in common with thermal underwear than fashion hosiery and on the whole I find it uninteresting.
My view is that for most men buying hosiery there is a fetish aspect and the fact that tights/pantyhose are made for women is part of the appeal. My own view is that "female" hosiery is generally nicer to wear, and usually far cheaper to buy.
I can’t help but notice your photography skills, did you learn yourself or did you enroll in some formal training?
Aside from a few hours of very basic tuition I am entirely self-taught as far as photography is concerned. I would like to get a lot more time in the studio with models to try more things and to learn more. Some of my shoots are purely for learning and never get published.
I am always interested in how producers choose their models. What is important to you and based on what criteria do you choose them?
Generally I use girls who are new to or hoping to get into modelling. Partly this is to give new talent a chance, plus it lets me take complete control and work at my own pace.
I also try to choose models who live close by and perhaps most importantly like hosiery… the one shot I did that really disappointed me was with a model with a great body but no love of hosiery.
I avoid tattoos because they distract from the tights. I don’t demand perfect skin as the whole point of the hosiery is to cover the imperfections.
Do you have any other interests or hobbies that you enjoy in your spare time?
I am not quite sure what "spare time" is. I have rather a lot of hobbies and interests and not enough time to do them all. I really enjoy hiking/walking and I often combine this with a love of travel. I am very interested in wine and I run a wine tasting club that meets once a month… my holidays tend to be to places with vineyards too.
I enjoy working on my garden and I have a pond with koi carp. Photography of course, outdoor rather than in the studio.
I am a member of a clay pigeon shooting club … (for those not familiar with the sport the "pigeons" are clay discs fired from a catapult launcher, they replaced live pigeons many decades ago), and a badminton club.
Why do you think that pantyhose and stockings sales declined in the past 2 decades?
I don’t have any firm data on this, and of course I can really only look at the UK, but my feeling is that compared to 1992 the market is smaller but growing fast. The growth in the number of on line retailers, and the success of more established sites like UKTights is testament to this.
You say that “what is right for a girlfriend and what is right for a wife are different”. Can you explain to us how so? In my ideal world there wouldn’t be a difference, but I realize that it may not be the case for others.
This is just an observation based on many years of experience. A girlfriend will love it that you bought her something sexy and expensive, a wife will probably complain at the waste of money and the fact it is not the style she usually wears. Of course it varies from woman to woman but I expect most married men will know what I mean.
You mention that in your tights review you talk about sizing. I usually take size Medium, but I find that it really varies from brand to brand. Why do you think they can’t just make these sizes standard worldwide to keep it simple for the consumer?
This is an easy one. Look at the average woman in the USA. Now look at the average Japanese woman. Then consider the varying heights and shapes across Germany, Italy, France, Spain, UK… there is simply no way that you can make any small/medium/large system work across the whole range. I do find it frustrating that the European size schemes all use similar notation but the sizes are different.
e.g. Kunert size IV is 44-46 in Germany, 46-48 in Italy and France and 50-52 in Russia, and what do those numbers mean anyway?
I notice that you really praise seamless pantyhose in your reviews. Do you think that seamless would be the hosiery of the future? I recently tried on an evening dress and realized that seams from my pantyhose were showing through the gentle fabric.
I love seamless pantyhose but they are not the future. I do think though that every premium brand should have a seamless style precisely for the reason that you mention, even the best flat seams can show through light and tight fashion. That and seamless look and feel so sexy.
Why not the future? Well they are expensive to make for one so will never displace hosiery made in two halves and seamed together. The seamless knitting process makes it hard to knit a deep body section so they tend to be hipster styled unless you are very slim in the hips and bottom, they you can get them waist high.
In your tips for gift ideas, you mention that it’s best not to go with hosiery less than 10 den. Does this mean that you personally are not a fan of ultra-sheer hosiery?
On the contrary I am a huge fan of ultra-sheer hosiery, and I suspect many men buying hosiery as a gift might love the idea the ultra-sheer material on their loved one.
My advice is aimed at men who need advice and I am trying to avoid the situation of a guy buying sheer hosiery for his lady who is not a regular wearer of sheer hosiery and ruining it either taking it from the packet or putting it on, particularly if the ultra-sheer hosiery is not top quality. I have had 10 denier 40% lycra pantyhose from the supermarket literally fall to bits as I stretched it prior to wearing. Some of the best hosiery is 5-9 denier, but this is not for the beginner in my experience.
It is quite rare to see pantyhose in a fashion magazine unless it’s some kind of a winter jacket commercial that obviously won’t be styled with summer sandals. Do you have any opinion on why this bare leg look is promoted in the fashion industry?
This is an interesting question. It shows in some ways how North America lags behind Europe in terms of fashion. Two years ago the fashion press would still be saying "steer clear of sheer" but now sheer hosiery is popular even among, or maybe particularly among, younger women.
Some women of a certain age who never wore hosiery still go for the bare leg look but now they are the ones out of step with fashion. It will be interesting to see if the look transfers over the Atlantic in the coming year.
TightsFashion is unique on the web, although there have been attempts to copy both the content and the format. First and foremost it is a site for lovers of hosiery as a fashion item, designed to provide information on as many styles and brands as possible and to provide price comparison between the leading on line retailers. The information on the site is provided for all to use free of charge, to promote the wearing of hosiery for the beautifying of legs everywhere.
If you would like to stay current with the updates from TightsFashion, you are welcome to follow CJ on Twitter, @TightsFashion, or connect on Facebook through the Tights Fashion Fan Page.
http://www.tightsfashion.co.uk/
I got these statistics online and I thought you may want to see that actually in some countries hosiery is on the rise.
Canada
In 2011 hosiery in Canada saw healthy sales growth, with an increase of 3% in volume and 6% in current value terms to reach C$1.4 billion in total by the end of the year. This represented healthy growth compared with the value drop experienced during the recession, although in terms of volume growth remained positive through the recession and slow recovery.
United Kingdom
Hosiery sales increased in both volume and value terms compared to 2010, growing by 2% and 5% respectively in 2011. The famous British Wellington Boots led to the trend of wearing "Wellies with socks", which proved very popular in 2011 with sales soaring. Over-the-knee socks had a large part to play in A/W 2012 Fashion weeks, and were featured by many popular designers. Large woollen socks worn with short skirts and a large overcoat hit the runways.
France
In 2011, hosiery volume sales remained on a declining trend while current value sales stabilised somewhat after consecutive years of marginal decline. This could be explained to a large extent by the efforts deployed by the main players to upgrade their offer through innovative and high-tech products. For instance, the leading socks player Groupe Kindy invested €1.5 million in research and development in 2011 to expand its product portfolio and offer ground-breaking products.
India
Companies making formal wear compulsory and the increasing number of students joining professional courses and colleges encouraged ongoing growth in demand for hosiery throughout 2011.
Spain
Cotton remains the main material used in the manufacture of hosiery. However, fabric is increasingly mixed with materials such as elastane, lycra and velvet, which increase the elasticity and comfort of hosiery considerably.
The Hosiery in Spain report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2006-2010 and analysis by distribution format allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, leading brands, and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts to 2015 illustrate how the market is set to change.
China
Hosiery experienced 8% current value growth to reach HK$1,649 million in 2011. This represented a strong slowdown versus 2010 with the necessary nature of hosiery helping to support the continued positive performance of this category in 2011.
Germany
Volume sales saw a small decline of less than 1% in 2011. The positive development of values sales has been achieved through the increase of unit prices. An increase in costs due to higher cotton prices and costs for energy induced manufacturers to raise prices. This price increase has been transferred to other customers.
Russia
In 2010, hosiery sales registered 5% growth in volume terms and 16% growth in current value terms. The increase in demand is attributed to the growth in consumers’ disposable income, and hence, rising living standards. Consumers have greater requirements as their quality of life improves. Hosiery is no longer darned, and after the first hole appears is typically discarded. Modern businessmen in cities do care about what socks are visible under their trousers.
