I definitely see opportunities in the sport market now. I don't personally have a pain point here so it wasn't where my mind immediately went - but it has been great to see interest in new variants for people who seem to have the pain of wearing through their sports tights!
From my perspective, I see a lot of R&D in the company's future, not to mention a need to invest in growth/marketing - things we wouldn't be able to do quickly, if at all without VC funding. But I'm curious to learn more about your perspective - can you expand on what made you think this was less VC suitable? Would love to hear as it will prepare me for what questions I might get fundraising!
Great conversation here. Unless you're going to a Costco, I'd say you'd be pretty hard pressed to find $1 pairs of pantyhose in the US or Canada (which is I'll admit where I have the most market familiarity). And even if you could get a "disposable" pair for $1, the problem generally is that you don't know when during that first where they might rip. Having your tights get a run mid day is a major inconvenience. It is why a lot of women say they no longer wear pantyhose. Not to mention the waste of the single wear product (which takes about 50 years to decompose in a landfill). I don't think everyone is going to immediately start investing in indestructible pantyhose, but I think there are very clear benefits for those that do.
I am so glad you liked the video and that it caught your attention! That is so awesome to hear =)
I have heard of Heist, and actually bought a bunch and tested them out - sadly they too have the same problems as all of the other sheers out on the market today. You can see a video of my tests (including Heist) here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXt3vNL8ILA
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the video. I wrote the script with the help of a friend/investor, and we pulled together our friends to make it happen. Elias of SoulFood productions did the camera magic - http://soulfoodproductions.com/.
We've always thought television shopping would be a great channel for this product! And will definitely be cutting more versions of the video :)
Interesting. I wouldn't expect hemp would have the tenacity as the fibers we're using. But reading more about it now, it looks like people are trying to do some interesting things with hemp in bulletproof. One challenge might be how fine the fiber can be made. But I'm going to look into it!
From our conversations with customers so far, I'd say its mostly men buying for their wives/girlfriends - but quite a large number buying for themselves as well.
Thanks Anna!I totally agree. We're definitely going to be going there. We wanted to start with sheers because that is where the problem is most apparent, and where existing products last barely one wear. But I agree, 40d pantyhose still rip - and need to be innovated as well!
What a creative demo suggestion! My house is under renos right now, so I'm sure we have a belt sander somewhere...lol. Our fiber is highly hydrophobic.
This is a great point. I actually used to dance, so I know the pain! I think this will be a great extension for us down the line. There are some different requirements with dance (extra stretch, and sometimes varying waist/foot designs), so I think we'd likely need a specialized sku - but something to explore.
Very interesting! This is a fiber we hadn't looked into, seems like there would be some challenges with our use case (particularly the melting point). But definitely something I'm going to look more into.
Interesting use case! I hadn't considered going in that direction, but it does remind me of a pitch I saw on Shark Tank where someone used UHMWPE to create a bag. https://loctote.com/
It's very breathable! The knit in an of itself is breathable, but our fibers are also naturally cool to the touch, and are ultra light (they float on water), making them more comfortable for day to day wear than regular pantyhose.