We have shared the history of yarns in stockings in last chapter. Now, let’s stay with Thriving, the leading stockings supplier, for the second part of this story: how it looks like nowsdays.
100% Nylon Way
Pure nylon stockings are still in the market. Two reasons for that. One is obviously for cheap cost. You can find these 100% nylon stockings either in stores or online shops. Usually brands sell them in multi-packs such as 3PP or 5PP. Some brands give them nicer names: value packs or essential packs.
Nylon yarn in these multipacks is usually 100% draw textured yarn. Another name of it is DTY. DTY is the most elastic version of nylon. This makes ladies won’t feel too rigid in wearing these stockings without spandex.
Another reason is for vintage purpose. Under this case, the price is actually not cheap. A famous example is Cervin’s Vintage Stockings (check here for more details: https://www.cervin-store.com/en/4-nylon-stockings) These are basically retro fashion products. In Cervin’s Vintague ranges, you can see lots of traditional garters or suspenders. This will easily bring you back to the golden times of stockings. More than 70 years ago!
50% Covered Yarn & 50% Nylon Yarn Way
This means stockings contain both covered yarn and nylon yarn. In professional way, the name is alternative course stockings. Normally there are 4 courses in the stockings. For alternative course stockings, 2 courses are covered yarn and 2 courses are nylon.
This is a quite popular way in today’s stockings market. There are 2 benefits of doing so. First is for good transparency effect. This is more for sheer stockings styles. Covered yarn is thicker than pure nylon. With using half and half, the fabric turns to be uneven. This allows more light to go through. This is why the alternative course stockings look more transparent.
The second benefit is for cheaper cost. This is more for opaque stockings. Covered yarns are more expensive than nylon yarns. Using covered yarns in 2 courses are certainly cheaper than using them in 4 courses. Take a 40 denier stockings for example. The good quality one normally uses 2040/36(This is the covered yarn spec. It means 20 denier spandex covered by 40 denier nylon) in all 4 courses. To make the cost cheaper, some brands also use 2040/36 in 2 courses and 40/36 nylon in the other 2 courses. This sacrifices some on thickness but certainly improves the cost. “This is like a secret that no professionals want to share”, said Mr. Lee, technical manager of Thriving, the leading stockings supplier in China.
100% Covered Yarn Way
Another common way in today’s market. It means covered yarns are in all 4 courses. People also call this all courses stockings. It won’t be as transparent as alternative ones. On contrary, it gains more durability and elasticity.
It is easy to understand the extra durability. It is thicker by using 2 more covered yarns. At the same time, with all 4 courses in the same yarns, the fabric surface is everner and smoother. This helps to withstand more tension and pressure in wearing.
Extra elasticity comes from the 2 more spandexes. We’ve learned the story about spandex in last chapter. The more spandex, the more elasticity. You may have heard the compression stockings, support stockings or energising stockings. Different names but basically same thing. They all use thicker spandexes to create compression feeling. For example, normal sheer pantyhose will use 20 denier spandex. Compression ones will use 30 denier, 40 denier or even 70 denier.
Thriving, the leading stockings supplier, once designed an energising style. It used 30 denier spandex. Meanwhile, Thriving put different tensions on different parts. Thigh is looser. Knee is smoother. Calf is tighter. This brings extra support and comfor as it suits the nature of human body.
One more thing to add. Any functional stockings, if the functions are from yarns, are normally in all courses way. Why? Just because only this way can ensure sufficient content to perform the function. Take ladder resist stockings for example. Some brands also call it run resist. The function comes from the special spandex. It will be melted and work as as a glue to bond all fibers under 122 degrees on boarding machine(See the machine picture here: https://ytthriving.com/hosiery/)When this special spandex are made to covered yarns and used in all courses, it then creates the greatest ladder resist function.