Leggings drive legwear sales

Footless tights and leggings are all the rage this season, causing sales of legwear to surge. Typically, this segment has remained flat over the past few years, but thanks to new found interest, is rising from the ashes. "Leggings are an easy item that is driving people to the legwear department right now," Michael Fink, vice president and women's fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue told WWD. "It brought such new interest into the whole legwear area." In the year ended 31 May, women's legwear sales dropped 2.6 percent to $2.86 billion in the US, reports the NPS Group, a market research firm based in New York. It added that socks gained 2.1 percent to $1.76 billion, but sheer hosiery fell 9.1 percent to $999 million and tights fell 10.9 percent to $103 million. Romaine Sargent, vice president and general manager of Sara Lee Hosiery told WWD, "We were up against some tough circumstances, like Hurricane Katrina and rising gas prices that impacted the economy and took its toll last fall. We started seeing a small turnaround during the holiday season, but then the total category started undergoing a real uptick for spring. Having leggings, as well as opaque tights and over-the-knee socks, on the runway added a lot of interest to the category. As the legging trend is just beginning to hit the mainstream, we're confident it will continue forward in spring 2007, and possibly beyond." Sameera Hassan of British high street fashion chain River Island has also noticed the surge in popularity of the legging. "We have seen it emerge as a seasonal trend and are responding to the demand." She declined to give sales projections or results.

Stores are offering a range of footless hosiery, including brightly coloured and printed versions. Also popular our black leggings paired with sweater dresses, a big trend for fall. According to WWD, anklet socks in light fabrics are also emerging as a popular trend, as are over-the-knee socks paired with heels.