New European Retailer for Men's Tights

It seems the men's legwear trend continues its spread overseas, not confined to North America by any means. PH Balanced--a husband and wife blogging team that, like The Nylon Gene, focuses on legwear--reports that a company called EuroTights (http://eurotights.eu/) is the latest addition to the growing men's legwear market. Based in Latvia, EuroTights is selling both men's and women's legwear made by ELA, a Czech hosiery manufacturer.

The retailer still seems to be in start-up mode, with all ordering being placed through eBay for the time being. However, the fact that there are a growing number of companys willing to stake a capital risk to launch a company selling pantyhose and tights to men is a testament to the viability of the product concept as a whole. The long-term viability of company's like ACTIVSKIN and others who followed them has emboldened those who may once have scoffed at the idea of men wearing tights, much less making a profit off them.

ELA's recent launch of a range of men's tights was reported on last month by another legwear blogger, SheerGeek. ELA Trebic has been in business since 1990, making women's hosiery in the Czech Republic. Only recently have they made their entry into the men's market, with the introduction of three styles of tights carrying the names, David, Patrik and Adam.

These tights come in 20, 40 and 64 denier, respectively. Each is sold in two colors, beige and black. They are constructed with a 'gusset' in the front similar to ACTIVSKIN's male comfort panel, designed to provide extra room to accommodate male anatomical differences.

While early reports from London distributers give the ELA/EuroTights products good marks, they probably won't be showing up on the legs of North American males in large numbers. While the products themselves are priced competitively enough, overseas shipping and EU export costs add considerably to the overall cost of purchasing them.