Interview with Hosiery For Men.

Luxury Legs interview with Hosiery For Men

At Luxury-Legs we believe that bloggers are a key part of the hosiery world as they represent a truthful, honest opinion about all different types of tights, from what styles to buy, what brands to wear and how to care for your hosiery, bloggers offer that key second opinion that we all need! As a result of this we have decided to conduct a series of interviews with the bloggers who we believe are setting trends.

Our series debuts with an interview with the blogger behind one of the most ground-breaking blogs, – Hosiery for Men.

Hosiery For Men is a blog about legwear for both men and women where you can find reviews about his favourite pairs of tights, discussions about hosiery brands, sizing, fit, yarns, new technologies and innovations. In this interview our blogger shares his tips on why it is important to read reviews before buying a pair of tights, the essential rule of choosing quality over price and much more.

You created the Hosiery For Men blog back in 2011. How did you come up with the idea of making a blog based on legwear reviews?

I have started the blog for several reasons, one of which being that I wanted to have a blog that even myself would read. Back in 2011, apart from one that no longer exists at the moment, there weren’t any other blogs specialized in reviewing tights from a male perspective. I decided that reviews would be the main part of the blog so that I could evaluate and discus styles I was buying and wearing, and through this develop my own expertise and experience in relation to the hosiery industry.

I hope this blog makes the issue of men wearing tights more visible and challenges some of the misconceptions and possible stigma around this. I also hope it enables men to feel more confident about wearing tights as part of today’s fashion. It has also surprised me that in some ways we are in a golden age of hosiery: the selection of brands, styles and yarns used it is so wide now. Plus the technology advances so quickly and the quality is also getting better and better.

However, reviews can help the reader navigate through this and know more about what is available on the market and what to buy.

The core audience for the blog is mainly formed of men, but about 40% of the readers are women. I have had a lot of positive feedback from women who also find the reviews useful.

How difficult was it at the beginning to approach hosiery brands and start collaborating with them?

It wasn’t that difficult, really. I have always aimed to be professional with hosiery brands and have a good communication with them. I think once they saw that the blog was serious and it could help them get publicity and visibility, then they realized the value of developing collaborations. As the blog has grown and become more established now, I have had more and more brands approaching me and asking to collaborate with them. Many brands and retailers are also very generous in sending samples for me to try and then review.

What makes the difference between brands? There are brands that have a luxury profile as well as niche brands and less known brands.

Each brand is unique, although I have learnt that tights from different brands can be very similar if not the same but marketed differently.

Some of the main differences are:

• The status and prestige of the brand. There are top brands such as Wolford, Falke, Oroblu and Fogal whose names are synonymous with quality.
• The actual quality of the product, particularly in terms of the yarn used and the quality of the manufacture.

There are other aspects that differentiate brands. For example: the packaging and information provided on it. It is surprising how some brands still have cheap packaging and provide poor sizing information.

After reviewing a huge selection of tights since I first started in 2011, I know which brands represent quality and provide the best fit and wearing experience. It’s great that Luxury-Legs stocks many of these! On the Hosiery For Men blog, I aim to wear and review as many brands as possible. That is really the only way to get an accurate view of what different brands offer and assess their quality.

One thing I have learned is that high quality costs more and cheap tights are really a false economy. Luxury brands are more expensive because they use better yarns and the products are made to a far higher standard. So by paying more you get tights that not only last longer but will also provide a better fit and a more enjoyable wearing experience.

How do men choose their tights? Do you think men prefer to wear tights for women or tights specifically created for men?

Well, men are different just like women, so it is hard to make generalizations.

There are, as you mentioned, brands that make tights specifically for men. However, some of the top hosiery brands such as Wolford and Gerbe used to make men’s tights but have discontinued them unfortunately.

The tights made specifically for men have additional features such as a fly opening, better sizing options and reinforcement in areas such as the toe and heel. However, I personally consider that the quality and range of women’s tights is often far better than those made specifically for men. Some brands such as Wolford and Falke provide good sizing options, and of course the quality is excellent. I bought a pair of Wolford Velvet De Luxe 66 tights several years ago and they are still in good condition.

There are some men who prefer tights made especially for men. I know that they feel more comfortable this way as they are unsure about wearing women’s hosiery. My overall view is that tights are a unisex garment that can be enjoyed by both genders. If women’s tights work and fit well, then it’s perfectly fine to wear them.

If you were asked to create the perfect pair of tights, what would it be?

Wow, that’s an interesting question! I think the perfect pair of tights would need to include a range of features, and from a male perspective these are:

• Sizing should be generous and must go up to at least 5’11” – 6’0”.
• The tights would need to have more space in the thigh area, as well as a deep brief and comfortable waistband.
• There should be a high Lycra/Elastane content. This helps to provide a great fit and ensure the tights dress the legs well too.
• The tights should be completely opaque; probably 70-100 denier so that leg hair is not visible and they can be also worn with shorts if needed.
• Lastly, the yarn and manufacture need to be top quality. For the perfect pair, the tights must feel great to wear.

 Can you tell us a bit about your future projects and collaborations?

In the immediate future I would like to further consolidate the great relations I have built up with retailers and hosiery brands. I have developed a wonderful collaboration with brands, including Wolford which I am particularly excited about as they are absolutely the world leaders in hosiery design, innovation and quality. I hope that our collaboration will continue this year. In the longer term I have thought about developing a range of men’s tights. But this needs a lot more thought and planning.

I also hope that I will continue to work with Luxury Legs. Not only do you have an amazing retail website, but the team is all very friendly. I am sure your customers feel the same as I do, that they are well valued.