Search results
In the late 1930s, the U.S. imported four-fifths of the world’s silk. Of that, 75 to 80 percent went into the making of women’s stockings—a $400,000 annual industry (about $6 million in ...
Sep 4, 2012 · Not long before the 4,000 pairs of stockings sold out—in only three hours!—DuPont had had women modeling nylon hosiery at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, touting nylon as a synthetic fabric ...
People also ask
Why did people wear stockings in the 1920s?
What happened to nylon stockings during WW2?
What did women do with nylon stockings?
Why do women wear stockings?
- What Were Stockings Made of Before Nylon?
- The Invention of Nylon
- The First Nylon Stockings
- Nylon Stockings and World War Two
- The ‘Nylon Riots’
- The Age of Synthetics
Before the invention of nylon, stockings were typically made of rayon, cotton or, most popularly, silk. But the use of silk presented a few problems. Firstly, it was delicate, and hence prone to tearing and running. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Japan had a monopoly on the export of silk. During the tail end of the 1930s, Japan was respon...
Nylon was invented by the American chemist and inventor Wallace Carothers in the mid-1930s. Initially, he was employed by DuPont under the promise of total research freedom. Carothers chose to focus on polymers. As America’s financial prospects worsened during the Great Depression, DuPont reneged on its promise of research freedom for Carothers, di...
Nylon stockings were showcased to the American public for the first time at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, where they were met with great fanfare. In October 1939, nylon stockings were made available for public purchase for the very first time at a string of stores in Wilmington, Delaware. All 4,000 pairs sold out in a matter of hours. After that ...
After the Japanese attack of Pearl Harborin December 1941, America joined World War Two. And as the nation shifted towards a wartime economy, all materials and commodities essential to the war effort were rationed and requisitioned. Nylon was no exception. Rather than being used for stockings, during World War Two, nylon was diverted towards the ma...
Though nylon stockings had been taken off the market during World War Two, Americans didn’t forget about them. In fact, when they appeared in stores again after the war ended, demand was so high that the so-called ‘nylon riots’ broke out. In stores across the country, pandemonium ensued as the much-wanted material was made available to shoppers onc...
In later decades, nylon went on to fill shelves beyond the hosiery sections of American stores. Now, it’s used in everything from sports racket strings to toothbrushes, travel suitcases to carpets. Nylon, as a revolutionary man-made material, ultimately sparked a ‘synthetic revolution’. Nylon was the first synthetic fibre to achieve commercial succ...
Apr 17, 2015 · These stockings were sheer, first made of silk or rayon (then known as “artificial silk”), and after 1940 of nylon. The introduction of nylon in 1939 by chemical company DuPont began a high demand for stockings in the United States with up to 4 million pairs being purchased in one day. Nylon stockings were cheap, durable, and sheer compared ...
Feb 16, 2016 · Before the 1920s, stockings, if worn, were worn for warmth. In the 1920s, as hemlines of dresses rose, people began to wear stockings to cover the exposed legs. These stockings were sheer, first made of silk or rayon (then known as “artificial silk”), and after 1940 of nylon.
BY Giovanna Osterman Nov 08, 2019. In October 1939, the chemical company DuPont introduced nylon stockings to the market. At the time, stockings could only be found in sheer silk or rayon—which, although luxurious, were far too susceptible to runs and rips. Nylon was touted for its ‘strength of steel and sheerness of cobwebs,’ a promise ...
Oct 17, 2020 · The Nylon Tights Trend Started With A Tale Of Revolution. From a post-wartime sense of liberation to Chanel’s AW20 catwalk earlier this year, nylon stockings signal more than just your average undergarment. At 9:30am on the morning of 29 January, 1946, the doors of Gimbels department store in Midtown Manhattan opened to a stampede of 5,000 ...
