In the Media

How to stop runs in their tracks...

For well over a half century almost every woman who has ever worn stockings, pantyhose, or tights... has suffered the same inevitable fate or consequences... their hosiery (more often than not... brand new), is going to catch or snag on virtually anything... an un-filed fingernail, a bracelet, a chair or table, or even something simple-- like someone stepping on their toe... and BAM... there it is.. a ruined pair of stockings or pantyhose... that begin to run (or "ladder" as the Brits call it), either way, a verb.. and not a good one.

This is the dread and plight of women who want to look perfectly put together and exude confidence, and expect their legs to look flawless... not homeless.

Almost every mature woman in the modern world will have experienced such fashion catastrophe, angst, and distress of snagging and running pantyhose or stockings at the most inopportune and inconvenient, and confidence-disrupting moment!

Since the mid-20th century invention of sheer hosiery (originally stockings until the invention of pantyhose in 1959) to enhance women's legs, the short life span of hosiery was a certainty.

To prevent the ensuing progressive run or ladder from a snag, women have resorted to emergency triage application of clear nail polish-- which is viscous (thick), and dries into a noticeable and unsightly glob that sticks to the skin, and renders the hose unsuitable for any future use.

There is now a better and simpler solution called Pantyhose Run-Stop® that comes in a convenient lip-gloss dispenser/ applicator, and is a fixative that "welds" the microfibers together and dries almost transparently. While it won't restore the hosiery to showroom condition, application of the fixative (not adhesive), will secure the woven mesh from unraveling, and minimize the damage before the stockings start to irretrievably run-- thereby preserving the hose for continued wearing (if caught soon enough), or even additional wearings if the snag is in a concealable spot (covered by a skirt, dress, pants, or the bottom of the foot).

The challenge:

This patent-pending product, is in a category by itself, and in the 50 years or more of sheer hosiery embraced and worn by women world-wide, there has never been a product commercially marketed to specifically treat a compromised woven microfiber textile to prevent the progressive unraveling of the fibers or filaments... commonly called a "run" (or a "ladder" in the UK).

Additionally, carrying a nail polish bottle in a purse-- is inconvenient (because it is bulky), and a concept that is generally not planned for such eventuality. Women will always grab a tube of lip-stick or lip gloss to toss in their purse as SOP (standard operating procedure), and maybe a couple of other cosmetic items as well.

In the war of the survival of pantyhose beyond a single wearing, Pantyhose Run-Stop® is a new product that combines a modern bio-compatable acrylic polymer as a fixative that penetrates and "welds" the microfibers together and dries almost transparently, into a convenient lip-gloss tube that can be carried along with other cosmetics in a woman's purse, and can be applied as triage in a moment's notice-- before a run begins developing. This is like the combination of a missile with a warhead-- an effective and transparent fixative, contained in a handy dispenser/ applicator.

This composition commonly used in other applications, differs from adhesives and clear nail polish in that it is water-based, and thin enough to deposit the acrylic micosphere particles which selectively bond with the different synthetic-blend fibers (nylon/ elastane/ polymide, etc) in the woven mesh, and lock (or weld) the fibers together... which prevents unraveling.

In comparison, the antiquated traditional method women use-- clear nail polish or other adhesives (like super-glue), are unsuitable and undesirable-- as it's thickness creates a noticeable and unsightly glob, patch, or sheath-- essentially ruining the hosiery for any future use, and as well-- it sticks to the skin, and is difficult to peel off.

Pantyhose Run-Stop® is specifically for the application to pantyhose, stockings and tights, and is blended with a black pigment to blend with black or grey hosiery, and a tan pigment to blend to be used with nude and flesh colored hosiery, both contained in a double-ended dual cartridge lip gloss dispenser, each capsule containing the different shade. Although the composition when dry is practically transparent, the shading is simply an extra step in the indetectability of the application. Obviously, with dark or black hosiery, lighter skin will obviously show through the hole, so the Pantyhose Run-Stop® is more effective on smaller snags before they progress to larger holes.