Stockings were first born in the 15th century, 600 years ago. At that time, the production of tights also relied on handmade and natural materials. European high society is very obsessed with tights, and there is no shortage of colorful tights, which can be described as a hot fashion item.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Spaniards began to separate pantyhose from trousers; At the end of the 16th century, the Englishman William Lee invented and modified the hand-knitting machine, bringing the first "revolution" to stockings. The stocking material of this era is still dominated by silk, which is expensive and cannot be afforded by most ordinary people.
In the 20th century, the birth of new material nylon brought a big change to stockings. In 1937, a DuPont chemist stumbled upon a mixture of coal tar, air and water that melted at high temperatures to pull out a hard, wear-resistant, slender filament. This was what became known as nylon fiber.
Two years later, DuPont brought stockings to the World's Fair to great acclaim, so in 1940, stockings were officially put on the market. At that time, stockings sold for about $6.80 a piece, while the per capita annual income in the United States at that time was only more than $700, which was equivalent to buying a stocking that cost 10% of the monthly salary.
With the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States entered World War II, and nylon became a limited supply, more to be used to make parachutes, bomber tires and other military supplies; At that time, it was difficult to find a sock. At its most intense, some even fried thousands of dollars.
But what can stump a woman who loves beauty? The women began to use eyebrow pencil and draw a thin black line on the back of the leg, which looked like they were wearing stockings. At that time, there was even the technique of "liquid stockings" - evenly applying foundation to the legs to look like wearing stockings. At that time, many cosmetics stores would provide "leg makeup" for free in order to attract business.
In 1945, two weeks after Japan's surrender, DuPont began reproducing stockings, which women rushed to buy, in what journalists at the time called the "Nylon Riot."
Early nylon stockings were not elastic enough and did not fit well. In 1959, DuPont once again contributed a man-made fiber product with excellent elasticity——— Lycra to the world. The way of blending Lycra and nylon solves the problem of stocking fit. With the explosion of miniskirts in the 60s, stockings were also more popular to show off slender legs.