Sheerly Genius launches indestructible pantyhose made with fiber found in bulletproof vests

Never did I ever think I’d be writing about a technology and science-driven pantyhose company, but here I am. Intrigued by a pitch that described them as made with the same type of fiber found in bulletproof vests and climbing equipment, I quickly jumped on the opportunity to speak with Sheerly Genius founder and CEO Katherine Homuth.

Turns out they’re not bulletproof, but they are indestructible for up to 50 wears. Sheerly Genius, which launches today, manufactures and sells rip-proof, snag-proof and “lifeproof” pantyhose that last up to 50 wears.

“I can hang from them,” Homuth told me. “You can’t tear them apart. Anything you throw against these will not destroy them. They’re totally lifeproof.”

Sheerly Genius isn’t Homuth’s first rodeo in the startup world. Before Homuth launched Sheerly Genius, she co-founded ShopLocket, which later sold to PCH International. ShopLocket became an expert in helping hardware startups bring their products to market.

“We were doing all these crazy wearables, but something as basic as pantyhose was still so awful,” she said.

So she went to the drawing board and tested some of the strongest fibers in the world. Homuth landed on a derivative of bulletproof fibers. By participating in Silicon Valley’s Y Combinator accelerator, Homuth hopes to gain some more credibility for a company “which would not typically be thought of as a tech company.”

While people may not consider pantyhose to be a tech play, Homuth says there’s lots of science and technology that has gone into the production of Sheerly Genius pantyhose.

Right now, Sheerly Genius sells basic black, sheer pantyhose. Down the road, Sheerly Genius plans to move into the “nude” option, which entails a number of different colors.

“We’re really trying to take what was seen as a disposable product and move that into a category of just clothes,” Homuth said. “We want to take them from ‘I have to replace them’ to ‘I should probably replace them.'”

Kind of like underwear, she said.

Pantyhose can range anywhere from $14 to $78 on Nordstrom. Although Sheerly Genius is comparable in price to some of the more expensive pantyhose, Homuth says you’ll get way more wears out the Sheerly Genius pantyhose. Sheerly Genius is currently taking pre-orders at $79 a pair for shipment this fall.