A Q&A on How Tights Are Made
You and your tights are pretty close, physically speaking they’re skin tight day in, night out. It would be rude not to know how they’re made. It’s changed a lot since Marilyn Monroe had something to show us in Monkey Business. Namely thanks to some killer tights technology, but also because we’ve all realised that the sag is a drag and we’re much more equipped to take on the world when feeling confident and supported.
Enter Hēdoïne. We’re a young company with a story celebrating Hēdoïnes - and all we can achieve when we’re celebrated and elevated. We have made it our mission to produce tights that are seamless, sag-free, sans gusset and even ladder-resistant. We’re about to steal some time with our Chief Product Officer Valeria to delve into how tights are made whilst ticking these boxes. Hint, it happens in 3D, no special glasses required.
Where are Hēdoïne tights designed & produced?
Hēdoïne tights are designed in London by a small team of experts - if we do say so ourselves. We are lucky to have super-sustainably minded producers operating out of Italy, and the UK.
What is your favourite aspect of how Hēdoïne tights are made?
Watching these seamless circular machines at full speed is fascinating! I could spend hours observing the thousands of minuscule needles sinuously moving up and down and creating one long tubular leg from the raw filament of yarn. This single long leg is then cut in the middle and our Hēdoïne band is manually sewn along this cut. Voila! The finished pair of tights is now ready in all it’s completely seamless glory - meaning with improved comfort and wearability!
Apart from seams, what else was at the forefront when tackling the tights experience?
It’s not just seams we wanted to banish in our mission to reinvent tights. Gussets were out and what about that annoying itch? That also had to go. We decided to enter into extreme testing for the softest tights using the finest yarn, that stayed in place and didn’t leave marks. This is where 3D knitting comes into it. This is toe to toe knitting, where the waistband is actually attached by hand at the end of the process.
How has 3D knitting improved the process of making tights?
3D knitting has computerised the production process by taking a digital design and turning it into a piece of clothing. This has hugely improved the overall production process by making it more efficient and by creating possibilities in terms of designs and personalisation that were before inconceivable.
Can you give us a hint on the ladder resistant technology?
No hints sorry *wink*. It takes super fine yarn and a combo of elite materials and process savoir-faire to give our tights raved-about longevity.
Ladder-resistant tights are the equivalent of Haute Couture in fashion… They are produced with a high quality process that, simply put, results in a higher end product.
Lastly, can you break down the materials used to make Hēdoïne tights?
- Microfibre / Nylon - key ingredient for all types of tights, it’s like the flour for your home-made pasta. It adds super soft warmth to our higher denier tights, makes them rather addictive
- Elastane - Adds just the right amount of stretch along your legs and on our waistband, raved about for support and shaping
Big thanks to Valeria, who is super busy working on our next big release.
2020 has been our year to share the steps we are taking toward a future not focused on consumption. We want to make tights that last longer than one wear and we want to help you recycle them once they have passed onto that preloved stage of their life cycle. That’s why we’re being responsible in our production process and starting a recycling program to match in 2021 - watch this space.
Thanks for learning how tights are made. Want to get your legs in some? Shop tights here.
