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Comment by komali2 | Hacker News Reader

>Our goal is to replace these disposable products with Sheerly Genius, which has been tested to last up to 50 wears.

Out of curiosity, how did you determine this?

edit: omg lol, I love the robber scene in your kickstarter video

How did we determine the 50 wears metric? We've been producing prototypes since September, and have been testing them with real women for day to day wash and wear (in addition to our other more extreme tests like velcro, rings, and hanging from the ceiling...lol)

So, originally nylon stockings were pretty much bulletproof and in 30-40 denier, but what happened was, DuPont realized they could make them in 10-15 denier and still last four-five uses. And people bought those like hotcakes, since they were prettier.

If you can make stockings bulletproof at 15 denier, what's to stop you (or a competitor) from going to 3-6 denier and make an even prettier stocking that only lasts four-five uses?

I totally agree, it's not in the interest of the hosiery industry to create a reusable product. 30-40 denier products in traditional nylon are definitely stronger than sheerer product, but are by no means even comparable to the strength of the product we can produce in the same denier. If we wanted to produce a 3-6 denier product with our materials, we could. So if that's where the competition wanted to push the fashion trend we could go there and still have a way better performing product. Not to mention, the industry's move towards disposable product has created a massive pain point for consumers, so we really believe consumers are ready to invest in something they can actually get through a day in.

I'm speaking completely outside of my subject area, so take this with a large grain of salt but hear me out -- I think the video is great and success from the Kickstarter is proof of that.

But, I think a business needs to have solid distinguishing characteristics. An ad that basically says, "It's more durable and just a little more expensive, so if you do the math, it will work out in your favor after a long enough period of time" doesn't sound like you're playing your strongest cards in your hand.

If you can make a product that no one else can, such as 3-6 denier, or super-strong athletic compression tights, then you create name-brand distinction. Even if it means that the bulk of sales end up being what you just advertised in Kickstarter, the tail-ends of the market is what defines the brand. "Super-sheer, super-strong."

I think "tougher and more expensive" is enough of a distinction. I buy a lot of gear in the hiking/camping/onebag world, and a lot of companies there comprise nothing other than a "our shit don't break" philosophy. For example, Goruck bags or Wolverine boots.

Hi there- Natalie with Sheerly Genius. Robber scene is so funny! Love that part too!

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