History of Stockings
History of StockingsThe story of stockings began in 1589.
That was when the English churchman Reverend William Lee invented the worlds
first knitting machine and started to make hosiery out of cotton, wool and silk.
The machine was a national treasure. In fact, the queen of the day threatened
the death penalty for anyone who attempted to export it.
The technology remained reasonably static right until the 1930s, when a new
circular knitting machine meant garments could be made in one piece, and no
longer needed to be sewn together. Around the same time, scientists at the Du
Pont company in Delaware, USA started experiments in molecular chemistry that
would quite literally change the world.
Julian Hill was one of the
scientists there, and he was looking for a silk substitute. One day he
discovered that by pulling a heated rod from a mixture of coal tar, water and
alcohol he could create a filament that was strong, sheer, and silk-like in
appearance. Further research led to the first synthetic fiber, which soon came
to be known as Polymer 6.6. Two years later, in 1937, Du Pont patented the
discovery.
Synthetic fibers were first shown by the company to the public at the World
Fair in New York in 1939. Taking the NY from the city initials, the fiber became
known as "nylon". The 'lon is for London.
Nylon was a revelation. The first nylon stockings appeared in New York stores
on May 15, 1940. Over 72,000 pairs were sold in the first day alone, and the
Japanese silk market collapsed almost overnight. Department stores throughout
America saw a similar stampede. In the first year, 64 million pairs of stockings
were sold and manufacturers could not keep up with demand.
When the US joined the Second World War in 1942, most nylon production was
switched into tent and parachute manufacturing for the military forces. American
GIs could still get hold of stockings, though, and they became the gift of
seduction as the GIs tried to woo their way into the hearts of British women.
After the war, demand rocketed. The first post-war hosiery sale took place in
1945 in Market Street, San Francisco, and attracted 10,000 shoppers. Throughout
the 40s and 50s, stockings were known as [fully-fashioned] rather than the
single size of most hosiery today. Fully-fashioned stockings were tailored to
the shape of the leg, and had a distinctive seam at the back. When women could
not afford stockings, or had difficulty getting hold of them, they would often
draw a vertical line up the back of their legs to simulate the effect.
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