Tights, synonymous with planned obsolescence

In this article, we will explain what planned obsolescence is, and what this fraudulent and increasingly common technique consists of.

"Planned obsolescence is an industrial strategy aimed at programming a limited lifespan for a product to accelerate its replacement."

Concretely, obsolescence is a strategy used by manufacturers to accelerate the end of life of their products, and therefore, at the same time, customer repurchase.

In reality, we are faced with planned obsolescence on a daily basis: from mobile phones to household appliances, not forgetting tights of course, it affects a good number of objects around us.

A smartphone that becomes obsolete because its battery is irreplaceable or because it lacks new updates. Household appliances that are irreparable because their defective parts are unobtainable or unaffordable.

You've experienced one of these situations, haven't you? Well, you're one of the victims of planned obsolescence!

A little historical point:

This invention is the brainchild of the American Bernard London, who, in order to revive the economy of his country, which had been badly affected by the stock market crash of 1929, proposed reducing the lifespan of products.

Over the years, this practice of planned obsolescence has been continually encouraged by the growth of the advertising industry, persuading consumers to purchase ever newer products.

Do you know what the last consumer product that's still subject to planned obsolescence today is? Well, it's pantyhose !

Let's face it, tights are one of the essential pieces in our wardrobes, especially when winter approaches. In fact, 130 million pairs of tights are sold in France each year... The downside is that more than 100 million of them end up in the trash .

Yes, yes, 100 million; does that shock you as much as it does us?

You might be wondering why so many tights end up in the trash...

Quite simply because, beyond the fact that most tights are made from low-quality, flimsy materials, many of them are also subjected to chemical treatment that deliberately makes them more fragile (= planned obsolescence). Added to the fact that they never come with a warranty (well, except at Cygnes...), you now understand better why tights are so prone to planned obsolescence.

The repercussions of this planned obsolescence are obviously ecological: knowing that the production of a single pair of tights requires 750 liters of water, the quantity of water wasted because of this planned obsolescence is incalculable.

But they're also economical, and they'll have a knock on your wallet: 80% of tights are unusable after just 5 uses. On average, you'll need to buy no fewer than 12 pairs of tights to last all winter. Considering that the average price of a pair of classic tights is €10, you'll need to budget around €120 a year!

Fortunately, at Cygnes , we have a solution to combat planned obsolescence. Introducing... our ultra-resistant tights!

At Cygnes , our goal is to combat this overproduction of tights by offering tights that will last you all winter (and sometimes even longer...). In short, we want to put an end to this frustration we have every winter of spending a big budget on uncomfortable products that run (do you know that frustration?).

Made from a yarn normally used for climbing, our tights have very strong, durable properties and can be worn more than 30 times. They are partly handmade and made in France (with love).

They also reduce the environmental impact of tights production: with all the tights we've produced, we've saved 150,000 baths full of water, so we'd like to say THANK YOU!

We have also launched the " Concygne s " to give a second life to damaged tights. At the time of writing, more than 1000 tights have already been concygned ! (*consigned)