Do tights count as pants? Short answer – Yes!!!

Tights totally count as pants for not only kids, but everyone. I guess that’s another whole blog though. For our first Yuugen blog post, I wanted to drill down on why tights and leggings were the linchpin for our first range.  Firstly, it’s not even a controversial statement to say that leggings count as pants for adults. Activewear, tights, leggings, super stretch pants – there’s a whole range in a thousand different brands for women and their love of tights. But for kids? That’s a whole other story. When I say kids, in particular boys. Girls currently have a range of cute leggings in thin cotton in most stores I’ve seen. But check out the boys section next time…nada. Absolutely none! Besides footed tights for babies, there are just no brands really honing in on this niche.

So what do we know about toddlers?

 

1. They’re active.

This is probably the thing that surprised me most about the existing pant options for boys. Boys and girls are really active, they are learning to challenge themselves physically everyday. And this is important. Being able to move freely to climb and jump and dance is crucial to their development. For me, it was crazy to think that their clothing could actually impede this.

2. They aren’t always super co-ordinated.
   

The thing that comes with pushing their physical boundaries when they are little is that they fall and roll and tumble a fair amount. Leggings protect their knees from the scrapes associated with that. Other long pants do too, but come with added bulk which can be restrictive. Jeans? Cool, but heavy, and not as stretchy in comparison. Chinos? As above but usually with even less stretch. Joggers? Don’t even get me started. These are just tracksuit pants. Let’s not pretend they aren’t.

3. They play rough and need clothes that stand up to the challenge.

The leggings I have bought for my toddler always come from the girls section. Why? Since they literally do not sell tights for boys! The down side to this (there are a few…), is that the cotton used in girls leggings is usually pretty thin. Think 200gsm if you are into fabrics. Yuugen’s unisex leggings are 300gsm so there’s much less chance that there’ll be holes in the knees anytime soon. I’ve tested them, they have done daycare, playdates, beach, playground and we are still good to go!

4. They wear nappies (depending on their age) and need pants that work with this for comfort.

A thicker fabric means less chance of nappy show. The only other leggings I found that were thicker were woven, so over a fairly short time we have stretch and nappy show. Not the case with Active Stretch Terry Cotton! When little ones wear nappies it’s also important to consider the nappy gussets and align them with the leggings so they don’t develop the dreaded nappy wedgie. Not a cool look and even more disastrous at times… We have considered all of these things in our Yuugen leggings and stand by the quality of an Australian made, owned and designed product.

But wait, there’s more!

The added bonus of leggings, besides comfort and stretch….is style! They actually look fantastic. Whether paired with boots, hi-tops or sneakers, it looks pretty fashion aware. From the time Hugo was fairly young, I received compliments on his outfits. At first I just thought people were being nice, but then I realized it’s probably because I purposely chose most items that were simple in design and paired well together. I couldn’t get behind big slogans, tractors, loud colours etc. My style was maybe a little more Japanese inspired in some ways, in terms of the simplicity. At some point (that in itself is another rather long story), I decided to do something about it. Life’s short. Dream big or go home. Right? So, I’d identified what was missing in the current kidswear market. Now to design it. And here we are.

So to answer the question, can tights be worn as pants…the answer is a resounding yes!