MEN BUYING TIGHTS SURVEY: WHAT CHANGES SHOULD HOSIERY BRANDS MAKE TO TIGHTS DESIGN SO THAT THEY FIT MEN BETTER?

In our recent MEN BUYING TIGHTS survey we asked this question:

What changes should hosiery brands make to tights design so that they fit men better?
Here is a summary of the responses:




The key change proposed, and one that almost 60% of respondents agreed with, is improving waistband design to prevent rollover.

This suggests that current waistband design on many tights styles is less than comfortable, and doesn't stay in place well.

This is an issue that some hosiery brands have already been tackling. Heist, for example, have created an adaptive seamless waistband that aims to follow the contours of the body. It is designed so it won’t roll, twist, or dig in. It's also available in low waist and high waist versions.



Wolford and Hedoine have also notably paid attention to this issue.

The Wolford Pure 10 Tights, Wolford Pure 50 Tights and Wolford Comfort Cut 40 Tights are all examples of innovation in this area.





The seamless tights by I SEE YOUR LEGS also have a 10cm wide "super-comfort waistband".



Other suggestions that significant numbers of respondents agreed with are:

• Provide more room in the brief/body
• Make legs longer
• Offer larger size options

These are all logical giving that men tend to be taller. Their different body shape means that they are also likely to need a brief/body with a higher rise.

The two brands (according to the survey), that men are purchasing more than others, Wolford and Falke, are also the brands that meet most of these needs. It seems quite simple doesn't it? Create a comfortable waistband that stays in place, offer larger sizes and offer a better fit for men's body shapes and more men will buy your tights!

The survey also confirmed that many men do value tights that are designed to provide a more comfortable fit for the male anatomy (genital area). More than a third of you identify that a specially-designed front comfort panel/gusset is something that would be appreciated.

Creating a fly opening on tights has some support, but doesn't appear to be a priority compared with other changes that brands might implement quite easily.