What the garment is and where it came from
Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages. As thermoplastics, nylons can be melt-processed into fibres, films and diverse shapes. Wallace Hume Carothers synthesised the first, nylon 66, on February 28, 1935, at DuPont’s Experimental Station, after a research programme that began in 1927. Paul Schlack at IG Farben developed nylon 6 on January 29, 1938. DuPont announced nylon on October 27, 1938, and it was first used commercially in a nylon-bristled toothbrush that year, then in women’s stockings, “nylons”.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
Fibres are extruded through a spinneret, which lines up the polymer chains, and cold drawing, in practice on heated rolls at high speed, aligns them further and adds tensile strength. Crystalline regions give strength and rigidity, and amorphous regions give elasticity. Nylon is easily dyed, can be lustrous, semi-lustrous or dull, and melts instead of burning. In nylon 66, pleats and creases can be heat-set. Nylon is hygroscopic, though less absorbent than wool or cotton. Nylon 6 melts at 220 °C and nylon 66 at 265 °C.
What it gets right
Nylon has excellent abrasion resistance, high elongation, resilience and resistance to insects, fungi, mould, mildew and rot. Its high-tenacity fibres go into seatbelts, tyre cords and ballistic cloth, and it paved the way for easy-care garments. Stockings showed what the market wanted: on October 24, 1939, 4,000 pairs went on sale in Wilmington, Delaware, and sold within three hours. In their first year on the market, 64 million pairs were sold.
What it does not
Early claims outran the fibre. Headlines promised stockings “strong as steel” with “no more runs”, and DuPont scaled back the original announcement. Pure nylon stockings tended to run lengthwise, and the fabric could be itchy, cling and spark from static. Its lack of absorbency left moisture near the skin. Under some conditions it degraded and shredded, which scientists explained as acid hydrolysis from air pollution. Nylon clothing is less flammable than cotton and rayon, but the fibres can melt and stick to skin. It is also slow to break down, and discarded nylon fishing gear adds to ocean debris.
What it changed
On February 11, 1942, nylon production was redirected to the military, mostly parachutes and tents. When stockings returned, demand outran supply: in 1946 an estimated 40,000 people lined up in Pittsburgh for 13,000 pairs in what became known as the nylon riots. Women cut up leftover nylon tents and parachutes to make blouses and wedding dresses. By August 1945 manufactured fibres held a 25 percent market share, at the expense of cotton. Blends then spread, and in 1955 Chanel, Patou and Dior showed gowns made with DuPont fibres.
Who it is for, and who it is not
Nylon is for wearers who want durable, abrasion-resistant, easy-care cloth, usually in a blend. The blends of nylon with cotton, polyester and spandex kept its elasticity, durability and ability to be dyed, and kept clothes prices low. Pure nylon is now rarely used. It is not the choice for anyone who wants a fibre that takes up moisture the way wool or cotton does.
Is it worth your time
Yes. It is a material worth knowing for what it did to stockings, to wartime supply and to how clothes are made. As of 2020, worldwide nylon production was estimated at 8.9 million tons.
