Interview With Elina Tunyan, Founder Of Garni Tights

In our last post we introduced Garni, a US-based hosiery brand, that has just relaunched their website.



As promised, we now publish our exclusive interview with Garni founder and CEO Elina Tunyan.

Hi Elina. Garni is a relatively new hosiery brand. Can you tell Hosiery For Men readers more about Garni? When did you start the brand and why?

Garni started in October 2018, and I started the brand with inspiration from my background in finance. Tights were part of my go-to work uniform, but they weren’t exactly exciting or comfortable to wear. Feeling squeezed in, cut off, twisted and itchy was part of my daily routine. With Garni, I set out to challenge that. Garni tights are made with a flexible waistband and super soft yarns: they are meant to move with you, and feel luxurious on your body.

In a quite crowded hosiery market, what’s unique about Garni?

Much of legwear and shapewear today sells to craft the perfect, slim body, but at Garni we’ve focused on freedom as our core value. This means that anyone can wear our tights, and that feeling free is essential when wearing Garni, rather than feeling constricted. We’ve centered our most recent brand refresh on freedom through movement: the idea that we have the freedom to move with our bodies in any way that we desire.

Our brand ethos is meant to be inspiring and vibrant, and we welcome everyone to come try what our legwear is all about, and how we are challenging the current market. We are at a price point and quality in which no one else is, and more than just a provider of tights, we provide an actual community of like-minded individuals.



Can you tell us more about the current range of Garni tights?

We currently carry three different styles of tights: opaque, sheer and fishnet, all in the color black. Each pair comes with our comfort waistband and soft seam that makes for an invisible look and exquisite feel. We will be expanding our style and color range in the future. Look out!







You mentioned to me that you have a growing male base linking with the Garni brand and community. Can you tell us more?

Yes, one of the things we embody is our ability to craft legwear that is fluid and meant for all bodies. Our models who wear the brand exist in a range of gender identities, some even wearing Garni to explore what their identity is.

Male customers will not feel excluded with the Garni brand and community. We are an inclusive brand that is open and welcoming to all, which is especially highlighted in our ethos and in our current brand identity.

I see that in your recent photo shoot you included a male model, styled in Garni tights? Was this a conscious decision to project inclusive values for the brand?

Exactly! We want to redefine beauty as freedom: freedom that is meant for everyone! Centered on inclusivity, we believe that tights function as a representation of the flexibility our identities can be. Tights move with us, as a way in which we express ourselves, and, we realized, rather than acting as a rigid armor, actually are a way in which we can be open and express ourselves. Garni tights bend and mold with our bodies, and don’t force us into shapes and sizes that are not truly us.



Which tights in the Garni range do you recommend as being particularly suitable for guys?

All of our tights are suitable for guys!



There is always quite a lot of media interest in the subject of tights for men. What are your thoughts about the greater acceptability of men wearing tights?

We hope that there continues to be a greater center on inclusivity in the hosiery world, and are humbled and thrilled to be joining a community of like-minded people.

To men thinking about trying tights, what would you say are the main benefits of wearing them?

Tights have been worn for years, but often with some nagging costs: restrictive yarns, cheap materials, sharp waistbands and annoying snags,to name a few. For both men and women alike, we’ve made a tight that finally feels comfortable and allows you to move about the world however you please: dancing, leading, or just lounging.

The benefits extend far beyond how they’re manufactured though. Garni tights iterate on expression, enabling the freedom to move through life beyond restraints.

Actually, our male COO wore our tights for the first time on our launch day, and recalled that the feeling was so luxurious and comfortable he wondered why more men didn’t make them a wardrobe staple. Since then, he’s been advocating for his male friends and prospective customers to wear them.

What are you planning for the future at Garni?

We are hoping to expand our community that we engage with, and want those who wear Garni to continue to feel empowered by our product and brand. We hope to add more styles and colors in the future too.

Thank you Elina! It's been great to talk with you and connect with Garni. I am sure Hosiery For Men readers will enjoy reading this interview, and will value the inclusiveness of the Garni brand towards male customers.

You can follow Garni on Instagram and Twitter.

Garni are also building a research and development group where they aim to get direct feedback from their community to inform new product development and branding. Hosiery For Men readers are invited to participate. If you are interested, click this link and leave your email.