The underwear staple for women is making its way into wardrobes of the opposite sex, and the look is gaining popularity. Italian design house Emilio Cavallini has designed a range of tights that it says are unisex and the styles are being snapped up by men, who make up two to three per cent, or 20- to 30,000 - of the company's customers. Costing $27, the tights, made from a mix of cotton and nylon. Speaking about the trend, the company's vice president, Francesco Cavallini said: “When we started our online shop we noticed that a lot of tights sized medium-large were being purchased by men.… So I did a search on the Internet and discovered there is a cult following for mantyhose.” The designer believes his male clients mostly seek warmth, wearing the pantyhose under trousers, but he has seen men pairing them with shorts.