Who Invented Stockings and Pantyhose?

Stockings have had a very long and varied history. Originally men wore them centuries ago to be a practical riding garment, but they were a far cry from the stockings we know today. In fact, the modern version of tights or pantyhose was not developed until much more recently.

In the early 1900s, it became more acceptable for women to display their legs in public, and stockings became more of a necessity. But the only version of hosiery available to women were stockings, which were generally made of silk and later rayon. Nylon wasn’t invented until the mid-1930s, and it wasn’t until the 1940s that nylon stockings became available on the market.

But, modern stockings had not yet been invented. The first versions were developed in the 1940s and 1950s to aid film and theater productions, in which stockings were sewn into the underpants of actresses and dancers. These were coined as “Panti-legs”, but it was not until 1953 that Allen Grant Sr. developed a commercial equivalent, and it was even longer before they were available for purchase. In 1956, Ernest G. Rice produced stockings made with a superior method, and it was this design that has been adopted ever since. And so today’s stockings and pantyhose were provisionally born.

But still, these tights were not like the ones we know today. Made from nylon, a material that does not stretch, stockings and stockings had to be made in a large number of sizes to fit the legs of different women. They were not comfortable or especially practical, and because the methods had not been developed, they were sewn with seams on the back of the leg. It wasn’t until DuPont developed Lycra in 1959 that tights became more stretchy, stretchy, and comfortable to wear.

Thanks to the fashions of the 1960s and 1970s, more specifically miniskirts, tights became more of a fashion statement than a necessity. Sales took off quickly and soon surpassed the popularity of stockings. It was also during this time that the technology developed enough to produce perfect versions, and its design has remained largely the same ever since.

Since then, meshes have developed rapidly in terms of the types available and the functions they can perform. From the body toning control top, supportive tights, and see-through versions to those with added moisturizers, creams, and fat burning properties, tights have come a long way.

And the age-old problem of poking holes in your stockings might even be a thing of the past. There is the potential to develop meshes that can remain ladder free, made from a newly developed material that can be repaired when the edges are rejoined. As you can see, hosiery has come a long way, and it certainly goes further!