Fashion Month is upon us, and while every designer has their unique take, the presence of hosiery is unmistakable. From Tibi, Colina Strada, Proenza Schouler and Khaite's Fall ready-to-wear, to Dior, Schiaparelli and Valentino's Spring Couture, tights have been a major theme across the board.
But while we can't deny the timeless allure of a pair of opaque tights under an LBD, we can't ignore that hosiery is notoriously unkind to the planet.
With the revival of '90s A-line silhouettes and '00s ultra-mini hemlines and the Twee aesthetic, hosiery, in all its glorious forms, has always had a place in fashion. After all, we've been donning some version of stockings since the 15th century. But as we commit to conscious consumption, it's important to look at what our silly little purchases are actually costing.
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The unfortunate reality is that clothing textiles are one of the largest contributors to waste and water usage, making up a whopping 80% of all landfills. And although hosiery may look harmless, it's kind of an eco nightmare — for multiple reasons.
Undoubtedly a popular accessory, it's reported that as many as 8 billion pairs of tights are made, worn a handful of times, and discarded every single year. And sure, a chunk of them were likely repurposed into sweet DIY potpourri holders, but Statista now reports that the tights and leggings market is expected to grow in volume to a staggering 387 billion pieces per year by 2025. That's a lot of potpourri.
Because the whole point of them is that they're paper-thin, tights tend to be flimsy — not exactly the shelf life of say, an investment handbag. We're all surely familiar with the dreaded ladders and slits that appear as if out of nowhere and expand like a web on even our most solid pair of tights. And sadly, unless we're embracing Grunge or re-channelling our Tumblr era style, this often results in them going straight in the trash.
But the biggest issue is that they're generally made from highly-unsustainable materials. Usually constructed from nylon and elastane — both synthetic fibres made using fossil fuels — to create that signature stretch, conventional stockings tend to stick around for a very, very long time, breaking down into bits of plastic that take hundreds of years to decompose.
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Now, there are a couple of pioneers out there trying to change things up, with brands like Hēdoïne creating hosiery that is actually biodegradable — something we hope and predict more and more brands will invest in in the years ahead. But while we wait, it's important to know what you're actually purchasing when looking for a new pair of tights.
We may have ditched the disposable makeup wipes and plastic grocery bags, but if you love indulging in fashion, it can be tricky to keep sustainability front of mind, particularly as we see 'microtrends' boom on larger scales than ever before. We're always firm believers in dressing however you want, and in a way that makes you feel good. But it's worth keeping in mind that all of our waste adds up. And what may seem like innocent dabbling in a trend can have an immense impact on the planet.
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