Friday 16 April 2021

LECHERY: Redefining Hosiery For Women... And The Men Who Love To Wear It

LECHERY, a hosiery brand based in New York City, has been creating quite an impact.



With a mission aimed at "Redefining & Reshaping Hosiery", LECHERY has a cohort of brand ambassadors on social media, showcasing a range of hosiery styles that are designed in New York and made in Italy.


PLYUSH 55 TIGHTS

We spoke to LECHERY founder Vyra to learn more about the brand and its mission.

For many Hosiery For Men readers, LECHERY is likely to be a new brand. Can you tell us something about LECHERY and why you created it?

There were multiple times in my life when I experienced sexual assault. I have spoken about this briefly in my blog post titled “2 Reasons Why I Should Stop Wearing Hosiery, But Won't” on www.lecherybrand.com. I was never vocal about it, especially as a young child who did not know what sexual abuse was. Wearing hosiery made me feel more confident and protected. It felt like my second skin. It was from overcoming the experiences of sexual abuse that motivated me to start a forum dedicated to destigmatizing the use of hosiery, LECHERY forum. The forum revolved around the central idea of embodying fearlessness and living life on one’s own terms.

After the forum, I created the company, which goes back to my reasons as to why I enjoy wearing hosiery. I wear it for a myriad of reasons, whether it is for my sexual life or my daily outfits, but truly, it goes beyond that. Hosiery has become an item symbolic of my freedom, protection, and sanctuary.

My experience as someone who was sexually assaulted was what led me to my fascination for hosiery; our forum was what helped me connect with people who had similar experiences and felt the same way about hosiery. Hosiery should not be stigmatized as there are a multitude of reasons people wear them regardless if you’re a woman or a man. Eradicating the stigma associated with hosiery and my willingness to create products where women and men will take ownership of their desires is what prompted me to create the company.



Around issues of gender and inclusivity, it seems that LECHERY has created a unique ethos. How would you describe this?

Based on conversations we’ve had with our female and male customers, they both feel the same way when wearing hosiery.
  • Women and men feel hosiery is an item that enables them to discover and express their absolute sensuality.
  • Women and men enjoy wearing hosiery because of the delicate, silky, and soft touch, once they put them on.
  • Women and men feel hosiery is an item that completes an outfit and makes it stand out.
  • Women and men feel more confident when they wear hosiery as their legs appear longer, more sleek, airbrushed, and refined.
  • Women and men feel hosiery is like a second skin that conceals their insecurities and imperfections.
  • Women and men agree hosiery is an item that is sexy, classy, and elegant, all at the same time.The only difference is that society is more accepting when it comes to women wearing hosiery. 
Ever since Queen Elizabeth I was the first well-known woman to wear hosiery, it became an item associated with femininity. When in reality, it was actually European noblemen who first wore stockings.

I have seen how much men want to engage and participate in a pantyhose lifestyle in public. However, many men would decide not to, simply because of the criticism they may receive. This is why, not all, but many men would wear hosiery behind closed doors instead of wearing them publicly.

As the founder of LECHERY our goal is to help both women and men embody fearlessness and owning their desires. Hence, we have created two separate community pages on Instagram in hopes of empowering both communities to come together and support one another. Our women’s group @LECHERY.LADIES and our men’s group @LECHERY.GENTLEMEN.


Our unique ethos is tied to answering: “WHY?” and “WHAT?”

My “WHY?” is to have LECHERY be the number one brand in the world to eradicate the stigmas surrounding hosiery in general.
  • Hosiery is only worn for intimate reasons or as a fetish item.
  • Hosiery is a single-use plastic item of the fashion industry.
  • Hosiery is old-fashioned, not on-trend, expensive, and uncomfortable.
  • Hosiery is not for men.
My “WHAT?” is to create modern fashionable hosiery of exceptional quality through sustainable production that will empower women and men to take ownership of their desires. We want first-timers to know that wearing hosiery can upgrade their lifestyle. Hosiery can be life-changing.


CONDENSATA 40 TIGHTS

Like many hosiery brands now, you seem to take sustainability and environmental issues seriously. What is LECHERY's approach to being eco-friendly?

LECHERY is a luxury brand that values quality, creativity, and sustainability. All of our products are made sustainably in Italy. Not only does Italy hold a special place in my life but it is known as the birthplace of anything associated with luxury.

Since Italy is part of the European Union, its environmental policies fall under EU environmental legislation. Italy has been known to be one of the few countries in the EU that have significantly decreased emissions and water consumption. The country continues to push in using solar energy.

All of our products are manufactured through the process of Green Production. This involves using less energy during the production process and recycling any left-over waste. Our factory in Italy mainly uses solar energy.


ILUZIE TIGHTS (ECO)

Not only do we participate in Green Manufacturing, but we also do have products that are made of recycled yarns. These are fibers created from the byproduct after a pair of hosiery is created. For every pair of hosiery made, there will be excess and leftover yarns that usually get thrown out and end up in landfills. We, on the other hand, don’t waste these leftover yarns. Instead, we turn these into fibers then into yarns then finally turn them into our eco-friendly hosiery like our INTRICATA, ILUZIE, and SELVAGGIA tights. We will soon be launching biodegradable hosiery.


SELVAGGIA TIGHTS

For packaging, we utilize recyclable card stock. All text and images, printed in our packaging, are made of vegetable-based inks. All of our products are dyed in compliance with all European standards of non-toxicity and environmental protection. Our hosiery is Oeko-Tex certified which means they are harmless to humans.

Your website is really open about the fact that men also wear tights for a variety of reasons. Your statement that 'men wear hosiery too' stands out. Why do you welcome men as customers and what are some ways that Lechery is engaging with them?

Hosiery was first worn by men during the Middle-Ages for reasons such as horseback riding. The only reason why hosiery became known to be predominantly a women’s item was when Queen Elizabeth I started wearing them. The fact that hosiery was first worn by men means there should be no stigmas associated with men wearing them. However, they do exist. We are trying to eradicate that stigma. We want to bring back those times and normalize the use of hosiery for both women and men. By having to welcome men as customers, we will be able destimagize the use of it and continue in helping them engage in a pantyhose lifestyle.

From the very start of our company, we have been transparent of wanting to be a brand that caters to both women and men. Some of the ways we have been catering to the male community are by offering sizes that go up to XL (we will soon be expanding to XXL) with a comfort-waistband. A lot of the men feel this comfort-waistband has allowed them to move freely and accommodate their bodies better when wearing our hosiery - not many hosiery companies offer that extra comfort-waistband.

Another way we engage with the male community is by featuring them in our products on our website. Also, aside from our main brand’s page @LECHERY.OFFICIAL on Instagram, we have created a men’s community page called @LECHERY.GENTLEMEN which features all of our male hosiery wearers and male customers.

With that being said, we are constantly working and finding ways to better accommodate men as we want them to feel comfortable and confident when wearing hosiery. We want men to know that they can engage in a hosiery lifestyle and not feel embarrassed about it. Through conversations and support groups like @LECHERY.GENTLEMEN, we hope more men will be inspired by other male hosiery wearers and hope they will become fearless when wearing hosiery in public.

For men thinking about trying on tights, what are the benefits of wearing them?

There are a myriad of benefits for men thinking about trying on tights. Hosiery could be medically, fashionably, functionally, and sensually beneficial for men.
  • Reduces discomfort, fatigue, and pain due to the delicate, silky, and soft touch of hosiery.
  • Provides warmth during the cooler months of the year while not having to layer too much or looking too bulky.
  • Provides compression which helps reduce circulatory problems or varicose veins.
  • Reduces leg pain, swelling, and fatigue.
  • Reduces any skin damage or burns when exposed to the sun.
  • Helps women and men discover and express their absolutely sensuality.
  • Helps women and men feel elevated and confident as hosiery makes their legs appear longer, more sleek, airbrushed, and refined.
  • Helps complete any outfit especially as hosiery comes in many different styles and patterns.
  • Feels like second-skin.
  • Feels comfortable and looks incredible on the skin.
  • Makes women and men feel sexy, classy, and elegant all at the same time.

CONDENSATA 20 TIGHTS

Tell us more about the LECHERY product range? Are there any styles that are proving particularly popular with men?

We have three collections: Classics, Fashion, and Eco-friendly.

The Classics collection comprises all basic types of hosiery: tights, thigh-highs, and stockings. Our classics are the most versatile, functional, and convenient pairs of hosiery for both experienced and first-time wearers. The Classics collection comes in natural/nude and black. This covers all types of opacity, ranging from ultra-sheer in 7 deniers, PELLUCIDE 7, to ultra opaque in 70 deniers, VUAL 70.


VUAL 70 TIGHTS

For our Fashion collection, we created the shiniest colored pairs of tights, CORUSCENT and CANDESCO, items that customers have described as “never seen before.” The theme for this year’s Fashion collection is “Light Conquers Darkness.” It symbolizes the light at the end of the tunnel after overcoming a dark year of uncertainty due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We see light and positive changes in 2021!

Our Eco-friendly collection includes INTRICATA, ILUZIE, and SELVAGGIA tights that are made of recycled yarns. These are fibers created from the byproduct after a pair of hosiery is made.


INTRICATA TIGHTS (ECO)

Styles that are proving particularly popular with men would be our PELLUCIDE 7 DENIER MATTE TIGHTS, PELLUCIDE 15 DENIER MATTE TIGHTS, CONDENSATA 20 DENIER SHINY TIGHTS, MS. CONDENSATA 40 DENIER SUPER SHINY OIL LOOK TIGHTS, CANDESCO SILVER LUREX TIGHTS, and our CORUSCENT ULTRA SHINY TIGHTS.



PELLUCIDE 15 DENIER MATTE TIGHTS

What are you planning next at LECHERY?

As a small start-up, we are constantly pivoting in this rapidly changing industry. We have many exciting products in line for the future, products that are sexy and biodegradable, and products that we plan on being patented. Even though we are mostly a direct-to-consumer brand, we are excited to announce that we will be partnering with various retailers in the near future. One of them is the biggest independent designer platform/retailer in the U.S., Flying Solo in SoHo, New York City. Visit them at: https://flyingsolo.nyc.

Ultimately, our goal is to redefine the industry, help people feel sexy, change their perspectives, and let everyone know that hosiery is a precious collectible wardrobe item. Hosiery is sexy, elegant, and classy. If you want to experience all three qualities, wear hosiery. We, at LECHERY, want hosiery to have this effect on people.

1 comment:

  1. Unfortunately you do not have a size for us tall guys! I am 6'0" tall.

    ReplyDelete