Tights Tights Tights - How to Reinvent a Legacy Retail Brand

Ramon Vela (00:01.631)
Welcome back everyone. This is Ramon Vela and I have an amazing guest. So let me introduce you to Alana Hurst, who is the owner of tights tights tights. Wow. What a mouthful of a name. I love that. Welcome to the show.

Allana Hurst (00:34.094)
Thank you so much for having me, it's such an honour.

Ramon Vela (00:39.071)
Well, I appreciate you coming and making time for us. And I can't wait to dive into your entrepreneurial story and your products. But let me start off with my signature question, which we went over and it's the one that I've asked probably more than 600 different executives on, on this show, whether the founders or CEOs or whatnot. And, and I feel like it's a really important question. It's a question of gratitude. And for one.

On one side, it is an important question because so many people are stressed out and being grateful and the act of gratitude and creating a practice around it, whether it's prayer or journaling or meditation, which I do, it is a really amazing tool to just simply help you relax and bring things into context, release stress and anxiety and so forth. And so it's just really important and I highly recommend it to anyone.

I also want the listener to know that there are real people behind these brands that we feature. So it's so easy for someone to go on a website and look at products or see them on the shelf at a retail outlet and just think, you know, it's just some faceless corporation. But on this show, I bring, you know, the people like yourself, Alana, on the show to really kind of illustrate to people that there's real people behind these brands who care deeply about the products, about the quality.

Allana Hurst (01:58.307)
you

Ramon Vela (02:07.485)
about their designs and whatnot. so, you know, I want to illustrate that. And one great way of getting to know somebody is by understanding what they're grateful for. So if you don't mind, Alana, can you share a moment or memory when someone did something for you that just made you feel grateful because it meant that they believed in you, your vision or your potential?

Allana Hurst (02:28.302)
Yes, certainly. So I'm so grateful to my mum Debbie, who when I took over Type Type Type, my mum left her teaching job. So my mum had been a specialised teaching assistant for 23 years. So it was a massive step for my mum to leave her teaching job and come and work for me. So my mum having that trust in me, knowing that I was going to work was a massive step and also for my dad as well, because he works part time for me.

and just having them both like trusting and believing in me and to come and work for me was something I'll always be grateful for.

Ramon Vela (03:05.843)
Wow. And that really does say a lot. mean, it says that they believed in your vision. They believe in what you were doing and they had faith that they were going to leave this job maybe with benefits or other things and really have faith that you're going to be. So that's fantastic. Yeah, that shows a lot of faith. then I mean that you can't ask for more than that. I mean, it's just really amazing when people

Allana Hurst (03:12.332)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (03:22.124)
but yeah, that's gonna work. Definitely. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (03:35.433)
I mean, it's, wonderful when you get investors and all sorts of other things, but when someone says, Hey, I'm going to, you know, leave my life behind and start something with you and be there with you. Then that means that's a, that's a commitment. That's hard to beat. So that's amazing. And you're, you're, it's, you're so fortunate to have your mother in your life and your father. So, yeah, great for that. So.

Allana Hurst (03:43.725)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (03:52.546)
Definitely.

Allana Hurst (03:57.259)
I

I certainly am. I certainly am.

Ramon Vela (04:03.763)
Alana, walk us through a little bit about how you got started with this. before you do that, let me just mention to people, we're going to be talking about her brand and her brand and the website is tites.co.uk. And so it's a wonderful name because even though it's a mouthful, I feel like it forces people to really think about your company.

Allana Hurst (04:10.04)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (04:28.686)
Definitely.

Ramon Vela (04:33.803)
You're kind of forcing people to think about it. it's tights.co.uk. That's where you go to see what we've been talking about or what we will be talking about. So Alana, if you don't mind, how did you get started on this? There is something about this business and or about you, and we'll discover that too, that your parents decided to, or your mom decided to take a chance and work with you.

Allana Hurst (05:01.416)
work. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (05:03.531)
How did you start it? Why did you start it? What was the impetus? And give us that story.

Allana Hurst (05:10.734)
Yeah, so it was in 2019. At the time I had my own clothing company and I was just looking for a part-time job and then I saw the listing for tight, tight part-time job and I was like, sounds perfect. And then so I went to the interview, got the job and then from being part-time a couple of months later, I was asked to go full-time and I was like, yeah, definitely, like, I absolutely love it. And then fast forward two years and

previous owners, Nigel and Carol Stock, who I'm so, grateful for, for giving me the opportunity to do the manager buyout and buy the business. So I went from part-time to buying it within two years and that was when then my mum and dad came and started working for me.

Ramon Vela (05:58.869)
Well, and what was, well, so there's a couple, I guess, questions there. What was it about the company that you felt that you, or what was it about the potential of the company that you felt like, I want to own this. So you want to own that. And then, so let's start there because there's a second part to that question, but let's start there.

Allana Hurst (06:16.311)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (06:23.606)
Yeah, I think I just love everything about it. I love how like niche it was, both like tight and hosiery. And obviously I got on really well with the previous owners. And I just loved how they because the business has been established for 20 years, originally was a shop. And then Carolyn and I took over to make it online. So I saw the opportunity and obviously I'm so grateful that I was given the opportunity to buy the business. But I also saw its potential and I had so many ideas that I've

already start putting in place to grow it. So it was a perfect opportunity to see a business that was already established. Then I knew I had ideas where I expand the business.

Ramon Vela (07:04.335)
And you mentioned that you already had your own clothing line.

Allana Hurst (07:08.022)
Yes that's correct yeah so when I finished university which I did in national fashion promotion so I've always loved fashion like I've always had like few part-time jobs after uni and then I thought I'm going to start my own company and so I started with selling clothes, I was at the market and that led to trade shows with Gokwon and then I had a shop and

But then a few things happened like with the shop and then I thought, you know, I was at a point in my life where we're going to be getting like the mongers on the house and like I needed like a monthly salary coming in. And that was an odd part-time job that do both. But then obviously when I fell in love with the business, got possible time, I don't know, my heart's a tight, tight, tight. And I felt like everything into that now.

Ramon Vela (08:02.735)
And so I'm assuming that like in terms of the potential of tights, tights, tights, you maybe saw an opportunity to also to include your designs and or your potential designs onto the business as well, which will give you another platform for your designs. And we'll talk a little bit about, I guess, some of the new stuff that you have coming out or came out and that we'll talk about in a second. And in terms of buying,

Allana Hurst (08:12.482)
Yes.

Allana Hurst (08:17.218)
Definitely.

Ramon Vela (08:30.763)
So you already had some business experience, it sounds like, and some experience like running your own shop. Was there any opportunity from the owners to be mentored by them or to ask questions or to use them as a resource? Or was it pretty much like, here are the keys, here's the place, bye, see you later. What was that like?

Allana Hurst (08:38.136)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (08:55.31)
I think it was a funny time. It was during COVID. So like the owners were waiting from home and coming in and then I in the office. So they did like start going through everything, but it was great. It was a good opportunity where I was like seeing like how the whole business ran. And obviously when we decided that I was going to do the manager buyout, they did mentor me and showed me how to do the buying.

how to fully take over the reins.

Ramon Vela (09:29.287)
And then what was some of the first things that you did when you took over? Was there anything new or different? Because I know that there is, when a business has been around for a while, there's some, probably some really positive attributes because there's a reason why it's had some longevity and so forth. But I also know that because a business, if it's been around for a while, they're...

Allana Hurst (09:44.385)
Yes.

Ramon Vela (09:54.635)
how you market, how you sell, sometimes changes, because 20 years ago we didn't have maybe the social media that we have now, for instance. So when you bought it, what were some of the changes that you made that were different from the way they were operating before?

Allana Hurst (10:04.076)
That's it, exactly.

Allana Hurst (10:14.83)
Yeah, so, um, I mean, I've always heavily been involved in like the social media. So the first major change I made was start a TikTok account, the business, and that is massively like change business days to be like, we're really never a reach like larger audiences globally as well. Um, so one of our like 24,000 followers on TikTok now and just get, we'll have videos for like styling, like entertainment videos behind the scenes. And I think.

Ramon Vela (10:43.531)
Mm-hmm.

Allana Hurst (10:44.728)
Having that platform is really like showed our customers like who we are behind the brand. again, it's really enabled us to see what more like what products customers want as well. So we've been going on like TikTok live and as I'm sure you feel like TikTok has had huge success for a lot of companies and thankfully we are seeing that as well.

Ramon Vela (11:05.514)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (11:10.091)
And was there any other changes like in terms of like if you're utilizing TikTok, was there any, I don't know, sales that you were encouraging through TikTok? Did you make any changes to like your online presence? in terms of like, can people purchase through your website? Did you, you know what mean? Did you kind of enter, was...

Allana Hurst (11:36.664)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (11:39.081)
Was there already online sales before you came in and or make any changes to that as you were at a TikTok?

Allana Hurst (11:42.04)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (11:46.36)
Yeah, so it's always had like the website sales and eBay, Amazon. And so I introduced the TikTok. So we do sell on that platform directly. And then I also introduced to the brand to Silk Red, which is another online clothing company. And we sell our brand on there as well. So that's enabled us to open up to a wider audience as well.

Ramon Vela (12:12.971)
And so I know we're talking about the mechanics of the business right now, which I think are really interesting, but it just occurred to me that maybe I'd love to hear from you, you know, as we're talking about like any changes that you made or, know, things that you, know, kind of like, you know, any things of your personality that you added to the company as once you purchased it, was there any change in the brand? Like for instance,

What does the brand is, is what the brand was before you owned it the same in your eyes as it is now? what, and what is that? Like if you're trying to describe this brand and your why about the brand and what you want it to mean to consumers, what is that?

Allana Hurst (12:48.364)
Yeah. Yeah.

Allana Hurst (13:00.898)
Yeah. Yeah. So for me, from like, I didn't want to make any big changes because obviously the business is doing so well when I bought it and if anything, I just want to grow it. So, but like from a customer's point, I didn't want them to know it had like a new owner sort of thing. Cause you know, people don't like change. So we didn't change anything with the website or anything. And we just obviously I've trained my mom in the customer service side and made sure that was exactly the same because

me that is everything as long as our customers are happy and you know the products are there what they want and the happiest the service and that to me that is the core of the business is the customer service which thankfully does show I have like 4.9 4.8 star ratings on Trustpilot and Reviews.io so I mean every day I'm looking at that making sure like everything's fine with the customers and to be honest it has remained the same so from a customer looking in they probably wouldn't

any difference.

Ramon Vela (14:01.835)
And how would you describe the brand? Like if someone's not able to see the website right now and you're going to describe it using your words, how would you describe it to someone right now?

Allana Hurst (14:06.507)
Yes.

Allana Hurst (14:13.664)
Yeah, so the Type Type Type is for everybody. So we care for all genders, all ages, all sizes for every occasion, whether you're wanting a pair for work wear or festival or support type. So if you want to prepare a type, they will be on Type Type Type. We care for everybody. And that's our main brand message.

Ramon Vela (14:39.035)
And from a design standpoint, I have covered some similar brands and correct me if I'm wrong, but there has really been sort of a lot of, I don't know if you would call them innovations, but a lot of changes in how people view tights and things like that. Because I think maybe like when I was growing up, tights were more like, people wore them but...

it wasn't really like a fashion statement per se, or maybe it was, but now it feels like it's more of a fashion statement and it's not even about hiding that you're wearing ties or you're wearing, like it's becoming a part of your ensemble. It just feels like it's much more of an outward trend than it was before. Have you noticed that and what are the trends are you seeing in the space?

Allana Hurst (15:08.622)
Mm.

Allana Hurst (15:13.005)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (15:19.971)
Definitely.

Yeah.

Allana Hurst (15:31.01)
definitely. think a lot of it is to do with celebrities and influencers as well. think because our customers are more exposed to social media now and they're seeing what the celebrities are wearing every day, they're seeing what the influencers are wearing. And a lot of, we're seeing a lot more fashion staples. So maybe like years ago, with a lot of like women for warmth. Now it's a lot of, they are the statements of their outfit. So we are seeing a lot more design.

Ramon Vela (15:56.597)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (16:00.267)
And in terms of the designs that you make for the business, what does that process look like? mean, are you looking at those trends and you're seeing what people are asking for or you're seeing the overall market or are you going out there and kind of creating new things on your own or like maybe experimenting? Is it more experimental or more trend setting or trend?

Allana Hurst (16:14.606)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (16:22.986)
Yeah, and the-

Allana Hurst (16:28.526)
And a little bit of everything, to be honest, because like for hours, I mean, we have over like 40 brands on the website. And with majority of them brands, like I'd either do like replenishment orders to get like basic like shears or pigs like every week. But then twice a year we do forward orders. So in the spring, we do the winter order for the year coming up. And then in the autumn we do the forward spring. So we've really got, we see their style.

we've got to buy those trends thinking like that's to do well or should we promise you then she'll buy so we do that for a lot of the brands so that is forward ordering but then in terms of my own brand Beel on the Leg where it as I just launched last year and that was a bit of experimentation and I did go with a lot of styles that I found that with a gap in the market that our other brands weren't offering which

I think it's been really beneficial, doing the customer service for six years, it's high, high. I'm speaking to these customers every day, like I know what they want. And I'll start and say, hang on, they're not getting these products from other brands. So I've been able to image these same brands and then style, sorry, into my own brand, which has been great.

Ramon Vela (17:46.161)
Mm-hmm. And is there going to be like a strategy or there's a strategy in place where because you are selling these products and then you've seen what sells and you're seeing what people like and don't like, but you're also seeing those gaps in the marketplace where you think, you know that people are asking for this, but there's nothing out there for it.

Allana Hurst (17:59.64)
Yes.

Ramon Vela (18:09.331)
Well, is that where your own sort of line will come in in terms of adding those different products? And what other things are we going to look at? So like right now is the Alana legwear, which has been out since, I guess you mentioned late last year. What other things are you thinking about or can we expect anything new?

Allana Hurst (18:12.206)
Yeah.

Definitely.

Allana Hurst (18:21.335)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (18:25.678)
Class class.

Allana Hurst (18:33.87)
Yeah, so we have launched the Love Luna period swimwear as well. So that does really well for us during the spring and summer months. So that's all about like the environmentally friendly, sustainable products. And that's it's amazing. It's an absolute game changer for young girls. They've got like summer lessons that are going on on holidays, new moms, and also just females in general, really. It just gives them so much more confidence. So

Especially this year, I've bought a lot more of that stocking because it did so well last year and we actually sold out. So again, that was an experimentation last year, but this year we've got even more stock of that arriving and I'm really looking forward to promoting and pushing that this year.

Ramon Vela (19:17.995)
And in terms of creating your own line, what have been those challenges? Because, mean, I know you, it sounds like you had some experience with it already, but you know, now with the store, you've got to think about scalability and, and, you know, all of these other things too. What was the, what were those challenges like? And, and did you, is it different now doing it for the store versus when you were doing it for yourself earlier on?

Allana Hurst (19:30.36)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (19:46.542)
Oh, yes, I feel a lot more pressure with it now. I think because I spent a good two years like researching the market, finding the best supplier, because at the end of the day, like I was putting my name to this product, like it has to be perfect. So I think if anything was the challenge, was just finding the right supplier, go and do the samples until I was happy. I

Ramon Vela (19:50.091)
you

Allana Hurst (20:12.66)
I didn't mind that it took two years because I knew at the end of the day, like it has to be perfect and the quality is outstanding. So it was was worth the two years of challenge to get there, but we got there in the end.

Ramon Vela (20:17.739)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (20:23.371)
And in terms of the designs, well, in terms of the manufacturing component, or maybe let me make it more general. Given your experience in now creating this new line with you, with the business, the Alana legwear, which everyone should check out.

and of course managing the rest of the business and whatnot. What would you, if you were to be speaking to someone who is, I don't know, at an earlier stage than you are, like imagine yourself back in 2019. If you were to talk to someone who was kind of doing what you were doing back in 2019.

Allana Hurst (20:54.264)
That's it. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (21:17.451)
And they were telling you, I want to start my own business or I want to do something like what you're doing. What would you, what, what would you tell them in terms of preparation or insights or lessons?

Allana Hurst (21:33.218)
Yeah, firstly, I would say like only do it if you're willing to give it your everything. You've got to have resilience. Like you're going to be faced with challenges and I think having a positive mindset really, really does help. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. They're going to happen and that's what you'll learn most from. In terms of like a professional side, I would say to start your personal brand in sooner.

I didn't realize how important like personal branding. Now wish I'd done it sooner. For example, starting a LinkedIn account. Like if I hadn't have done that and shared my journey on LinkedIn, like I wouldn't be sitting here on your podcast today. And it just shows how important it is. Like if start, you might be posting on LinkedIn thinking, yeah, I'm just, I'm just talking to myself, but you don't know who's watching your content and who can put you in touch with incredible people.

Ramon Vela (22:15.807)
Mm-hmm.

Allana Hurst (22:30.606)
obviously like fantastic opportunity. So definitely, definitely focus on personal brand, would say to anyone wanting to start up to themselves.

Ramon Vela (22:40.843)
Well, I think those are all great advice. And the other one that I wanted to ask you is along the same lines is around the buying of the business or the manager buyout. And it feels to me like,

Allana Hurst (22:53.474)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (22:58.859)
You know, and I've seen this more and more often where, you know, you can build a company from scratch and you can, that has its own journey. And they're both similar, but you know, you can start from scratch, but I'm seeing more and more people buying a business that already exists. And I've seen some people on social media, some influencers talking about how...

Allana Hurst (23:21.752)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (23:26.281)
that's better than building it from scratch, because then you're buying an already existing business and this and that and so forth. And so there's definitely advantages. What do you think now if you're stepping, now that you've had a few years behind and you're stepping back, do you feel like that was the best move for you?

Allana Hurst (23:32.643)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (23:50.059)
Or do you think that maybe you should have started something like a tight tight tights, but like on your own, like from scratch and from the beginning. I know hindsight is hard because you don't have that other experience to do as a comparison, but I'm just wondering, would you recommend others do what you did and find those manager buyout type of opportunities?

Allana Hurst (24:12.29)
Definitely. I honestly would. It's the best decision I ever made. I think because when you get an established business, there's like 20 years of already growing that business. You've got your customer base. You've got your website. You've got like we had the eBay account. You've got all that set up. But most importantly, you've got the brand already. You know, like people know that brand. So to have all that and just to then

start with a manager buyout especially when you've got the ideas and it's already there for you is well I'm very fortunate to have been in that position. it does still have its challenges though. It wasn't a walk in the park.

Ramon Vela (24:49.258)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, and I'll go ahead.

Ramon Vela (24:57.323)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, either way, you're, it's going to take a lot of work and either way it's really difficult, but you know, I think when you buy a business, you're already coming in with certain advantages. And especially if it's a, it's a good solid business, you're, you have some room where, know, you have some room to breathe versus, starting something from scratch where you have to build.

from zero to X, Y, Z in sales right away because you have to because you got to make money. But with an existing business, you've got, think, a little bit room to breathe because now you know that there's validation in the market for the business and people buy in, there's customers, there's people you can approach already and so forth. I had someone on the show and I don't remember the name of the company right now, but it was like a houseware company.

Allana Hurst (25:29.921)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (25:53.183)
And she bought an existing business that had been around for I think 20, 30, 40 years or something like that. And it was a solid business and there were like plates and cups that you can use that were metallic. And I don't remember what was, what they were aluminum or I remember when I was young, there was more of those things been for some reason they went out of style, but they're kind of coming back now and they're microwavable and, so forth. Yeah. And,

Allana Hurst (26:06.476)
Bye.

Allana Hurst (26:16.768)
Yeah. yeah. I know the name. Yes.

Ramon Vela (26:21.693)
And she, she bought this business and it was a solid business to begin with, but it hadn't been upgraded for a while. Like there was no social media. There was no, you know, the brand design just, she just basically sort of upgraded it a little bit, just kind of gave it a little bit of a refresh, you know, took it online, you know, fixed the backend and all the books and everything. And, and she's found it very successful. It's not a walking apart. Like you said.

Allana Hurst (26:30.136)
Right. Yeah.

Allana Hurst (26:49.102)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (26:51.359)
But she's founded to be very successful because you started with a leg up a little bit in terms of having a brand.

Allana Hurst (26:55.382)
after.

Allana Hurst (26:59.278)
That's it. Yeah, we were very fortunate as well. because the marketing company that worked for me, Fox media, Luke and Mitchell, they've worked for Type Type Type for over 10 years. So an article where they carried on working for me. So they do all like Google Ads, engine optimization, email marketing. So having them, I mean, they have played a massive part in the success of the business.

having them as well was no change which was fantastic so I am very grateful for the looks media.

Ramon Vela (27:37.107)
And what do you think is your, is you Alana, what is your, what is the biggest skillset that you've had to learn and now owning the business and then designing clothes, what has been the biggest skillset you've had to learn? And on the other side of it, what is the skill that you had that has been like the most beneficial to you in growing a business?

Allana Hurst (28:04.79)
Yeah, I think the first one was the buying, just being able to do all the buying and figuring out cash flow, you know, all the bills, dealing with that was all very new to me. So I found that the most challenging to start with. And we're having my background in social media and all doing all of like the Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, like that made me a three. So that's definitely really.

help the business grow.

Ramon Vela (28:37.099)
And how about sales, things like presenting to people or pitching your products and or to potential, I don't know if you have retailers or wholesalers or anyone that you need to sell to, it, or if you want to bring a new product line in there, were you, some people are very shy.

Like I remember interviewing a founder who would tell me, she went on to create a really successful food company, but she told me that in the early days, she would sit in her car for a long time, kind of psyching herself out, know, breathing, you know, doing breathing exercises and really just like nervous to go in. But she forced herself to do it because that's how you have to grow the company. But, so, and then I just talked to someone just this morning who said,

Allana Hurst (29:14.594)
Yeah,

Ramon Vela (29:26.857)
she had a theatrical background and she found that she had no problem at all, like approaching people and talking to strangers and whatnot and so forth. So, some people have that ability and some others don't. I'm wondering, like from your standpoint, are you shy? Are you able to go out and talk to people? You know what I mean? Like, do you have that personality or was...

Allana Hurst (29:37.165)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (29:54.227)
was really going out there and putting yourself in front was that really difficult thing for you.

Allana Hurst (30:00.11)
I was okay, to be honest, it did come quite natural because I think I've had like quite a lot of years of experience in selling, whether it was clothes at the market or on TikTok Live, like I have had a lot of experience. It feels it is, you know, you are nervous, but I just very much have like in my mindset, like if you don't put yourself out your comfort zone, you're not going to grow. I just, yeah, I feel like the more you do something.

Ramon Vela (30:08.651)
Mm-hmm.

Allana Hurst (30:27.884)
the more become habit and you get used to it and then you're like what's I even worried about in the first place? So you've just got to put yourself out there then go for it. If you're not confident just make on you are.

Ramon Vela (30:32.885)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (30:37.705)
Yeah. I agree with you. Yeah. I, and yeah, and then that happens. Unfortunately, I think that's what stops people to write. Like if you're able to kind of force yourself through those uncomfortable moments and kind of just keep doing it over and over again, eventually it's not like the nervousness goes away completely, but you're able to maintain it and control it. And you kind of just do it. Whereas unfortunately, a lot of people.

Allana Hurst (30:49.646)
Hmm.

Allana Hurst (31:01.922)
Definitely, yeah.

Ramon Vela (31:08.267)
will let that fear stop them, right? And they'll let that fear and never, you there's so many people who want to start a business but never do. That's what I love to feature people like yourself on this show because I love to show that, you know, if you can push through some of those, that discomfort and the pain or the learning curve or whatever you want to call it and just get past that a little bit, it's like.

Allana Hurst (31:27.555)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (31:33.163)
It becomes easier. It doesn't make it the journey easier. It just makes you doing it a little easier and eventually you can kind of do it. So yeah, I love to highlight stories like yours and others where people can see like, if you can just push yourself a little bit, it can happen. Let's talk a little bit about then in terms of the products that they're going to find on tights.

Allana Hurst (31:37.848)
Mm.

Allana Hurst (31:41.422)
Definitely.

Allana Hurst (31:45.109)
Thank you.

Allana Hurst (31:51.338)
Yeah, definitely.

Ramon Vela (32:03.027)
Co.uk is the website. What are people like, if they're listening to this interview right now and they love your attitude and they love the insights that you shared and the fact that you created this and that you just went for it and they now want to go to the website, where do you want them to start in terms of their journey with the brand?

Allana Hurst (32:26.667)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (32:32.334)
Yeah, so I feel like if you're wanting just like an everyday pair of tights to go for like a sheer pair we've got like the most popular is like like a sheer black pair or if you want more like it depends what season it is I would recommend like an opaque for like a statement pair and then with like a sheer black pair or opaque black pair you're going to get like so many different occasions to wear those you can wear them for work you can wear them for dressed up for on a night out.

So I would start with like a basic pair really. One of our best selling brands is like Gypsy, so the Gypsy type. So I would say they were a good starting point for anyone that's new to HOSURI. But again, if tight's not for you, we do offer stockings, hoser, leggings, socks, highs. So there's definitely something for everyone.

Ramon Vela (33:28.807)
Mm-hmm. And so there's when you go to the website, obviously, there's lots of different navigation buttons that you can go to. One thing that stands out when you go to the website are all the reviews and you've got lots and lots of reviews and and they're prominently displayed and you know, the average is, four point nine, four point eight, which is pretty good. And so that's that's pretty cool. I love that you have that and you have that focus on that. And

Allana Hurst (33:36.995)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (33:52.382)
Thank you.

Ramon Vela (33:59.22)
And in terms of the website, so there are lots and lots of brands. I'm kind of curious too, given all the talks about like tariff things and so forth, has that impacted you guys a lot? Because you carry a lot of different brands there too. it's like, has that impacted you guys on the ship?

Allana Hurst (34:18.827)
No, no, no, we've not been impacted on that.

Ramon Vela (34:23.045)
Okay, great. So you have lots of brands there. So you have tights, have stockings, you have holdups, have socks, plus sizes, leggings, a variety of different accessories. You also have a navigation button that's based off of brands. So someone's for a product from a particular brand, you can take a look at that. And then you also have the on occasions. So kind of helps you search things that are for

I guess for various occasions, like, let me see what you have on there. like Mother's Day and Valentine's and weddings and Halloween and Christmas and so forth, which makes it really convenient for people from a consumer standpoint. Walk us through some of these favorites of yours. And then you mentioned, I think, Alana legwear. And then you mentioned the, what is it, the Love Luna period swimwear.

Allana Hurst (34:58.606)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (35:02.391)
Yes, definitely.

Allana Hurst (35:19.788)
That's correct, yes.

Ramon Vela (35:22.537)
Yeah, let's talk about those a little bit. So the Elana legwear, what do want people to know about that one?

Allana Hurst (35:30.242)
Yeah. So I introduced the Alon Alegre as a sort of gap in the market for certain styles, particularly the shear to waist type. And they go up to size 3XL, where a lot of brands weren't catering for the larger sizes, where it ties, ties, One of our unique selling points is we cater for all sizes. So we range from size extra small up to size 10XL. So when I was launching my own brand,

Ramon Vela (35:46.432)
Mm-hmm.

Allana Hurst (35:59.439)
A massive point I wanted to make was that we have sizes, like a wide range of sizes. And also I wanted to introduce a lot more leggings as well. So we're seeing like the shiny leather look leggings and gym leggings really popular. So that's why. And then I also like like a lot of flares. That's all unturned out at the moment. So I've introduced a few flair styles as well.

Ramon Vela (36:25.387)
And the plus sizes, I know is a big deal in the sense that a lot of stores, when people go to that, like physical stores, they're limited in terms of the plus sizes, if they have any plus sizes at all. And then the other thing that I've, when I've spoken to companies who deal with this, they tell me sometimes the plus sizes are like hidden away, like you can't even find them. And it's just not a great...

Allana Hurst (36:38.669)
Mm.

Ramon Vela (36:54.091)
buying experience for people. And so it's great that you have it you have it like right center stage and people can look for it. Yeah, people can look for it. And so that's pretty cool. In terms of the other product, the, what is it called? The Love Luna?

Allana Hurst (36:54.732)
It's awful. No.

Allana Hurst (37:13.996)
I love Luna,

Yes, so we've got like the period underwear and also the swimwear. So we see massive popularity in the teenage sizes, especially for like holidays coming up or for them at school, just so they haven't got like that worry because the love lunar just looks like normal briefs or swimwear. So like obviously at that time a lot of women do worry, they feel like they can't go swimming and I just love selling that love lunar for women like

They can, they don't have to stop just because of that one week in the month, like they can go swimming and go on holiday and they've got no worries. And hearing the customers say that about them product is being incredible. You know, like what one mom wrote into me saying, like, you know, it's just give I bought so much more confidence when she's on a swimming lessons and she hasn't got that fear. And to me, honestly, I was just like, that, that things like that is like, yeah, this is why I do my job. You know, it makes it worth while.

Ramon Vela (37:47.615)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (38:12.715)
Yeah. And, you know, I've covered, some brands, tampon brands, and, I've just noticed that the conversation around, periods has really, has really changed in the last couple of years. and with it has been, I think a lot of the clothing and companies like yours that are really, really

Allana Hurst (38:21.708)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (38:31.104)
Yeah, definitely.

Ramon Vela (38:42.411)
taking charge and really creating products for women around those. Whereas obviously, five, 10 years ago, you didn't really hear about any of this stuff. Even if it existed, you never really heard about this or you never really heard about the conversations. But I've already had like two or three brands talk about, not closing wise, but from other perspectives talk about that. So yeah, I I respect what you're doing. And the funny thing is that,

Allana Hurst (38:47.736)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (38:51.948)
You didn't know.

Allana Hurst (39:03.148)
Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (39:11.145)
You're just being an entrepreneur. mean, of course you can care about the issue, and, want to, talk more about it and, have it more, more conversations around it from a cultural perspective, but you're just an entrepreneur and there are people who really need this stuff or who appreciate it. And, it always, it always makes me, it always, I find it interesting. sometimes for a lot of products that are designed for women where

Allana Hurst (39:28.494)
That's it. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (39:39.829)
I always think like, why didn't someone create this a long time ago? Like, you know, this is an opportunity, even if you're looking at a business opportunity, right? It's still an opportunity. So yeah, I love that you have products like that. And these are two of the in-house designs or it's just a lot I like where.

Allana Hurst (39:43.827)
No, literally.

Yeah.

Allana Hurst (39:58.476)
And so Love Luna is like one of the bands that we sell like Gypsy, Penthouse, those are the bands and then Delon and Legolas is mine.

Ramon Vela (40:08.157)
Okay, great. What else do want to know about the website? you have, obviously you have tons of pictures there and you've got it all, you have on each navigation button there's lots and lots of links that people can take a look at in terms. What else would you like them to know about the brand itself or about the products that you have on there?

Allana Hurst (40:23.872)
NASA Vance.

Allana Hurst (40:31.062)
yeah so another usp of ours is that we specialize in darker skin tone types so we're one of like the only hosier companies who care for like all skin tones so to me that's that's a very important factor so one of the main brands we sell is pen desert so they're available from tone 10 up to tone 50 in a type and also knee high and we sell lots of them and again we get really good customer feedback of them

of people of like different color skin tones who are thinking saying finally like you know that because they go to shops or what have you and see the color news was like well that's not their color news like you know so we care for all skin tones and that's a matter of fact there type type type.

Ramon Vela (41:19.467)
Yeah, I think that's great. And in terms of the next year, the next couple of years, what do you think is going to be that growth factor? What are you looking forward to in terms of investing in or putting more emphasis on that's going to help continue to grow the company? Is it more in the

Allana Hurst (41:28.012)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (41:47.827)
like TikTok world or more of the influencer world or is it more creating more designs like the Alana legwear?

Allana Hurst (41:49.923)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (41:58.444)
Yeah, so a bit of both of all, really. So I really want to push the TikTok and images more live. Also, like a lot of social media influencers and but also like micro influencers as well and get a lot of like UCG content of them wearing our products and just to show like how people can benefit from using our products. And in terms of the On The Legwa, I introduced the Shapewear Security Show.

So these are like pair of shorts, because I've got them in the market for like when you're wearing like a dress or skirt and you don't want any accidental flatters. So you can wear like a little pair of shorts underneath and these are not only shaping, you know, they are also seam free. So you can't see them under the skirt. They've got the anti-shaven technology and they are available in some sizes small to extra large. And I wear them when I'm out and I just feel like so much more confident wearing them with the dress on.

Ramon Vela (42:36.811)
you

Allana Hurst (42:57.87)
And yeah, I think I'm happy to stop more and learn more through our customers this year.

Ramon Vela (43:04.299)
And anything else like in terms of the website or in terms of where you're selling them or you mentioned the Alana legwear I think is being sold also on some other platforms or there's some marketplaces. Is there anything in terms of the growth of that one that people should look out for?

Allana Hurst (43:19.296)
That's correct. Yeah.

Allana Hurst (43:27.084)
Yeah so we recently launched another TikTok under Alana Legwear so we'll be seeing a lot more products on there for sale and a lot more like new leggings, lots of leopard trains arriving, lots of gym leggings and also now the warmer months are coming up there'll be lots more shorts as well so we're really going to focus on like the summer side but in terms of like the TideSideTights website and they're going to be seeing a lot more sheer shiny ties.

is there in Horses for the summer months. There's lots of exciting products coming.

Ramon Vela (43:59.659)
That's great. And in terms of the social media handle, what were those?

Allana Hurst (44:09.388)
Yes, so our Instagram is at tight, tight, tight and same for our TikTok as well. And our Facebook is at tight, tight.

Ramon Vela (44:20.885)
So three times. Yeah, I just want to make sure. This has been fantastic. I want to be with you for your time. What I really love about this is obviously you have these great products and great customer service because you just have so many really great and amazing reviews and you use reviews.io, which is actually a past advertiser of the show. So thank you for that.

Allana Hurst (44:22.274)
Too tight. Yeah. Thank you.

Allana Hurst (44:47.926)
Line? Aww.

Ramon Vela (44:49.983)
But you've had all you've you've you've so you have the products and you have the Alana, you have the the other product that we talked about and then you have tons of really great products here. The customer service. But what I really love about all of this is your story. I really love the courage that you took to.

You know, and I know it, if you look at it one way, you're like, well, she's very fortunate. Like she needed a part-time job, found it and so forth. But I always kind of feel like the universe is taking you on a road trip and you know, it may not look like it, but there's a lot of stuff that comes your way that, know, it's almost as like you're meant to find it in some way. And, but it still takes courage and you took the courage to not only just,

Allana Hurst (45:27.948)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (45:35.919)
really find a place that you love working with, but then take the next step, which is to do that manager buyout. I really love that. That takes a lot of courage on your end. And of course it takes a lot of courage for your mom to join you on that one. So that's a lot of faith. But I mean, I just love the, I love the courage that you took on there. And I say courage because you didn't really know a lot of the stuff that you mentioned, like some of the operations side of it and so forth.

Allana Hurst (45:42.84)
Yeah.

Allana Hurst (45:51.472)
Definitely.

Allana Hurst (46:05.262)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (46:05.835)
was daunting, but you went ahead and took it. And then now you're adding on some of your own personality and designs within the brand itself. And so that's cool that you're doing that. So I don't know, I love your story. I think it's a great entrepreneurial and founder story. And I love what you're building here. And so thank you so much for coming on the show.

Allana Hurst (46:22.28)
Thank you.

Ramon Vela (46:32.203)
Let's make sure again that people know where to go in terms of the website. But if there's any last words that you want to leave with the audience, in particular too, it's like because we're coming in the summer months, is there anything that they should be looking out for? Are there any promotions, any sales, any new products that you want to make them aware of that will be on the website? Or is there any events or anything that you want them to be aware of and or any live events on TikTok?

Allana Hurst (46:59.82)
Yeah so do check us out on TikTok and on the Lawn Olegra and also the Type Type Type. We will be going live and there will be lots of new exciting products some only being exclusive to TikTok as well but also do keep a lookout on our website where we will be getting a lot of new summer arrivals, lots of nice cheer, ties which are perfect if you've got weddings coming up, if you're a bride or you're going to a wedding or any lovely special occasion and you need a pair of ties.

Ramon Vela (47:29.163)
All right. And then I'll make sure to have the links to the social media links on the podcast description, which people can find at Spotify and Apple and so forth. And of course, all the links that we mentioned will have that. you'll find it anywhere you listen to the podcast, just type in the story of a brand show and we'll have that on our podcast description. Beyond that, I highly recommend that you go visit the website, Tites, Tites, Tites.

Allana Hurst (47:38.746)
Thank you.

Ramon Vela (47:56.991)
dot co dot uk and that'll take you to what we've been talking about today and you can see that and I just appreciate like I said I really love the story that you that yours I really love your story and the courage you you displayed in starting this and then now growing this and I wish you all the most success you're an alumni of the show now and so I want you to know that you're always welcome back

Allana Hurst (48:17.998)
Thank you.

Ramon Vela (48:22.217)
Whenever you have a new line or whatnot, you want to come back and talk about it, please feel free to do so. And we'll continue to promote your brand through our own social media and our clips and so forth. But thanks so much, Alana. I really enjoyed talking with you. And like I said, I love your story.

Allana Hurst (48:22.766)
Okay.

Allana Hurst (48:36.302)
Thank you so much for giving me this incredible opportunity. I'm so grateful.

Ramon Vela (48:44.767)
Yeah, no worries. Again, I love your story and I think it's a great one. And I really do feel like you are a product worth buying, a brand worth supporting. So thank you for that. Everyone out there, no, you're very welcome. Everyone out there, we have just had Alana Hurst, who is the owner of Tights, Tights, Tights. You can go to tights, tights, tights.co.uk is the website. Go check it out. See if there's something there for you.

Allana Hurst (48:53.932)
Thank you so much.

Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (49:12.779)
She's got amazing products. She's got excellent reviews. So that should give you the comfort and knowing that you're going to be buying a lot of quality products. And then of course she has her own Alana legwear line that you want to take a look at. You can find it at tights, tights, tights. But I think as you mentioned, we're going to have its own separate TikTok. We'll make sure to link to that as well. Beyond that, everyone, stay safe, stay sane, stay healthy. And one last thing, we've all been going through

things that are crazy in the last five years, the pandemic, the economy, the wars, the politics, the tariffs, everything else going on in the world. Let's just do ourselves a favor and realize that everyone is going through something probably very stressful, probably just they're watching the news. It's hard not to get stressed. So let's just do ourselves a favor and let's just be kinder to each other. Remembering that everyone that we see in the freeways or the streets or the supermarket line or whatever, they're all kind of

having their own thing that's going on in their head. And let's be kinder because I know we can make this human experience a better one. Beyond that, thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to another episode of the story of a brand.