The Hype About Heist
11:07:00
WE'RE all familiar with the trials and tribulations of that most ubiquitous of undergarments: tights. From the holes and the ladders to the haphazardly sewn seams that twist annoyingly around our baby toes and the droopy waistbands that result in needing to find a quiet corner to covertly yank back up - choosing a dud pair can result in a long day and evening of discomfort. Step forward Heist, the London-based hosiery innovators who have changed all that.
Founded by Edzard van der Wyck, Heist's USPs are that its hosiery doesn't have any seams - making them invisible under clothes and eliminating the oft ill-placed gusset - apart from the at the toes which are comfortably sewn at the base of the foot rather than meeting the tips of your toenails; it has a 5,000-plus thread count, making them unbelievably soft; and the waistbands come in two different heights and are hand-sewn onto the legs, allowing the tights to follow the natural contours of the body better. Sounds simple, but it's an area of the fashion world that has been crying out to be revolutionised, according to Van de Wyck.
"I was in Vienna and my wife tore her tights and dragged me into a store that sold supposedly the best quality tights on the market. I was instantly amazed about how they could be considered to be the luxury leader. Everything about the place felt so tired, from the imagery to the cellophane wrapped product. I asked my wife about the quality of the tights and her initial reaction was that they were good enough - but after a bit of pressure testing, she came out with this list of issues: uncomfortable waistband, the fabric gets itchy, the seams dig into me," he said. "I couldn't believe that such a fundamental part of a woman's wardrobe was something that was simply being put up with."
his return to the capital, he quizzed a group of 67 female friends who all came back with the same complaints, and it was then that he set about turning "
tights from this necessary evil to something you would be truly excited to wear".
Chanelling his previous experience in film production - when he admits to being obsessively focused into getting every detail right - into his new role at Heist, he doesn't just want to update the way that women wear tights, but also the way that they are promoted and advertised. He wants away with the "tired and out-of-touch imagery that seem to have gotten stuck around the late Eighties", opting instead for artistic collaborations that show the female form in new and empowering ways.
"There is so much money spent on advertising in the fashion world that we decided to spend the money on the quality of product instead," he said, explaining that the tights are all made by a small manufacturer in the small town of Castel Goffredo in the hills of northern Italy, which has been producing textiles since medieval times. "We felt that if the product was good enough, people talking about it would have more impact than an image splashed across the side of a bus. We work with exciting artists and photographers to create imagery that shows the female form in a more interesting and relevant way."
The images are certainly arresting, and there will be more where they come from.
"We've already created some really inspiring images with artists and photographers like Eve Ackroyd, Marie Jacotey and Ren Rox that we'll reveal early in the new year. We're just getting started with the project, but we're already really excited about everything we're seeing!"
Seeing is believing, and we can confirm that Heist lives up to the hype.
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