Jimtex Yarns

12/2008 - Great in 2008 - The Hosiery Industry Identifies Top Moments and Successes

www.hosieryassociation.com

When you have good news, you want to pass it along.

And that’s why so many Hosiery Association members were happy to sing the praises of this past year’s successes. From key partnerships to an increased attention on eco-friendliness to on-trend styles to quick fashion at the right price, the hosiery industry enjoyed some major successes.

Nilit Ltd.

“I think one of the best things about 2008 was the Seamless Village set-up we created at Outdoor Retailer’s Winter Market in January. It brought together fiber, yarn and apparel manufacturers to showcase the wide range of technical garments. These are people that have not worked together before and this has now extended our visibility,” says Molly Kremidas, Nilit’s United States Marketing Director.

Outdoor Retailer, a media event endorsed and sponsored by the Outdoor Industry Association, attracts thousands of buyers and senior leaders at their twice yearly events.

“The effort was championed by Santoni, the seamless machinery innovator and a sponsor of the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. The Seamless Village offered OR participants a convenient place to meet the experts in this exciting apparel field,” adds Kremidas. “Seamless apparel is an important segment for Nilit. We were pioneers in the development of microfiber yarns for the seamless category and, as a result, our products are used by the leading makers of seamless legwear, intimates, bodywear, and activewear.”

Nilit also made an outstanding effort to amplify its green policies and practices. “We created a brochure to demonstrate our environmental friendliness and amplify our use of recycled nylon.”

“Eco-awareness is definitely important,” adds Stefanie Zeldin, Director of Marketing and Sustainability for Jimtex Yarns, a division of Martex Fibers Southern Corporation. Her organization offers the ECO2Cotton® brand, a sustainable option for apparel manufacturers. “There is definitely an eco-green market; we have seen a number of clients interested in labeling their products as an eco-fiber or eco-yarn and just being environmentally responsible. They want to call it out to customers as an eco-friendly alternative.”

“And the good news for us is that we sold a lot of yarns for socks this year,” Zeldin enthuses. “We saw a lot of great, colorful knee-high programs.”

Hyosung Corporation

“Legwear is back in fashion in 2008 and that’s an exiting thing,” declares Ria Stern, Global Marketing and Brand Director for Hyosung, an elastane supplier to the hosiery industry and other markets.

“We are seeing women with boots and skirts and hosiery is playing a big role in the overall work. Dresses and skirts are back in fashion and rising hemlines naturally provide a showcase for hosiery. There’s great styling, colors, novelties and it’s not your mother’s pantyhose; it’s a vital fashion accessory.”

ETC Group

Hosiery most certainly is back in fashion , affirms Sharon Thorp, Vice President of Design and Marketing for ETC Group, a legwear manufacturer. “We have had an incredible fall season,” she shares. “So many things are doing well, like anything novelty, knee highs and tights.”

According to Thorp, hosiery is also more grown-up. “We also offer sophisticated women’s line that is based on tapestries and has really soft hand,” she adds.

Acme-McCrary Corporation

“Tights are certainly a strong fashion statement,” says Kim Smith, Vice President of Design and Merchandising for Acme-McCrary Corporation, the legwear manufacturer. “And the forecast is going to continue to be strong.”

Smith points to the trends in design that are feeding the frenzy for hosiery. “We are seeing reptile and animal patterns, argyles, tartan plaids and tweeds that will continue in 2009. There’s lots of color particularly in the purple family, with shades of plum and other shades that work back to charcoal and grays.”

RadiciSpandex Corporation

“Hosiery isn’t there to blend in today; it’s there to stand out,” promises Kim Hall, Marketing Manager for RadiciSpandex Corporation, a United States based subsidiary of The Radici Group, the chemical group based in Italy. “I think we have Sex and the City: The Movie to thank for that. In the film, we saw the women wearing not just plain solids but textured and luxurious stripes, fishnets and herringbones. Did you know Glamour magazine is calling hosiery the new lipstick? I love that!”

Hall is referring to the Lipstick Index, a “fashionomic” barometer. In troubled economic times, women typically stock up on lipstick, but this year, it’s legwear that women are hording. Two out of three respondents answered affirmatively to the question of whether they are buying more tights this season on Glamour’s web site.

So, not only is the fashion right, but the timing. “In this economy, hosiery is a smart way to dress up any outfit for a reasonable amount of money. It will absolutely make any outfit you have look new,” says Hall.

Jimtex Plant Location