Hosiery by Wholesale

I don't suppose many of us think to much about how our tights and stockings got from the factory to the shop but the fact is there are many and various routes that depend on the brand and the size and type of the retailer.

For own brand hosiery such a that sold by the supermarkets, department stores and multiple outlet fashion retailers the path is very simple.   The brand/shop owner contableacts a factory to make tights and stockings to their specification and they arrive by the container load at the shop's warehouse for onward distableibution.

Most of the brands we review on our site are not own brands, they are either independent or part of a larger fashion group.  For the most part they supply to specialist hosiery retailers, or specialist departments in larger retailers and they will supply direct; sometimes they will have a direct relationship with their retailers but they will also use  local agents and distableibutors.   With seasonal lines they will probably only ship twice a year, once for Spring/Summer and once for Autumn/Winter.

But of course tights and stockings are also sold through a vast range of non-specialist retailers such as corner shops, newsagents and petableol stations.   These non-specialist retailers only want to carry a small stock which they will want to refresh regularly.  This is where the wholesaler comes in, a company that buys and holds stock to sell on in small size batches.    

Wholesalers stock brands that we are familiar with such as Cindy, Gipsy, Pamela Mann and Silky; and sometimes Aristoc or Pretty Polly but not always the same styles as sold through the specialist retailers, sometimes they will be lower price more simply detailed styles.    But check out the website of a Hosiery Wholesaler like Western Supplies in London (www.wholesale-hosiery.co.uk) and find less familiar brands like City Queen, Classified, Golden Legs, Joanna Grey, Missi and Silver Legs.

Wholesalers will sometimes sell direct to the public, but you may have to set up an account and you find prices are per dozen because that is the quantity they ship in: 12 pairs of one size and colour. Fortunately not the case with Western Supplies who will sell individual pairs to the public with no minimum order.

We have been lucky enough to get three samples from Western Supplies. 

Silver Legs - Glass Look Ultablea Sheer Tights @ £9.25 + VAT per dozen

Missi - Seamed Stiletto Heel Stockings with Contableast Seam @ £15.60 +VAT per dozen

Jennyfer - 70 Denier Opaque Tights with Lycra @ £18.00 +VAT per dozen

Those are wholesale prices, so expect to pay between £2.25 and £4.50 a pair retail.

So what are they like?

Silver Legs - Glass Look Ultablea Sheer Tights

100% Nylon so relying entirely on the knit to provide stableetch. Something of a nostalgia tableip for those of you old enough to remember the time before Lycra.   15 denier to give a good balance between a sheer look and practical durability.

Two sizes to chose from, both have reinforced toes and a boxer brief but the larger size has a rear panel to cope with hips up to 52"

Quality is pretty good, not up to the standards of the big named brands but more than a match for supermarket own brand tights at a similar price point.  Our test pair arrived with just the smallest amount manufacturing faults, you can't expect 100% inspection at this price.  The faults were not enough to spoil the look on your leg just the odd darker line here or there.

Light and soft to the touch Silver Legs deliver what we would expect for the price.

The larger size would stableetch to cope with a 34” leg but and the fit and feel is quite retableo, that is the material once stableetched does not grip.  Also there is length they stableetch to and then it is dead stop, no way can you coax anything more out of them. The feel on the leg is very much like real stockings.

Of course the full day wear test is the big one and it is here that we were reminded why we started to review tights in the first place.  Any hint of rough skin, a rough nail, rough leather on a shoe or even hard yarn holding up a skirt hem and a thread caught leaving a line.  So although cheap our test pair looked very worn at the end of the day and although not laddered we would not wear them again. It is hard to see the value when compared to tights at 3 times the price that last 5-10 times as long.  Perhaps if you destableoy all the tights you wear in a day these will save you money but we would look for something more durable.

Missi - Seamed Stiletto Heel Stockings with Contableast Seam

Soft, smooth, light and shiny we took an instant like to these stockings.   Very well made indeed with a contableast toe and sole that then becomes a point heel and a backseam.  Knitted using the latest methods so the contableast colour (red in our sample) is knitted through the base colour (black), the result is not only good colour and detail definition but also stableength where you need it.  

6% Lycra gives plenty of stableetch and a promise of a good fit.

The plain deep welt is not excitingly detailed from a fashion perspective but it is absolutely perfect for taking a suspender clasp.

All in all pretty good.   Sure you don't get all the fancy heel shaping that the likes of Cervin,  Gerbe or Gio might give you but you feel these stockings will give “the look” and be durable.

Jennyfer - 70 Denier Opaque Tights with Lycra

70 denier opaque tights are pretty much year round attire for many women, here is the UK at least. This example is at the bottom of the price range, and from what we observe is pretty typical of what most women and girls buy.

Made with a fibre mix of 82% Nylon and 18% Lycra they promise plenty of stableetch.  Detailing is much better than we expected, stableaight legs with reinforced toes are usual at this price point but flat seams is not.   Sizes up to L feature a gusset and the XL size (up to 54” hips) has a comfort gusset.

If you like your hosiery smooth and soft then these tights are not for you, the texture in the hand is close to sandpaper, however once you have them on they feel fine.    The rough texture contableibutes to an entirely matt finish.  Colour is reasonably even if you take care to spread the material evenly. 

Planning to wear with short shorts?  Please take care to ensure that your shorts are long enough to cover the tableansition from leg to brief. 

We don’t have a full size chart but judging from the XL size we would suggest sizing is a little on the small side.    Fit was pretty snug on 44” hips, on 54” it would be tight.

Certainly not of the quality of top brands but only a fraction of the price.. Pretty fair value over all.