15 Reasons Why We Love SIGVARIS
We pride ourselves in offering our customers the absolute best selection of compression socks and hosiery from top brands. One brand that we really love for its commitment to innovation and quality and long-standing reputation for making great products is SIGVARIS. This venerated company celebrated its 150-year anniversary only a few years ago.
SIGVARIS makes a wide range of compression-related products, including compression socks, stockings, wraps, accessories and more. During its long history, the company has continued to launch inventive new offerings and further develop existing products to make them even more advanced.
The company continues to impress us with its approach to innovation and focus on consumers and their needs. But don’t just take our word for it—below are 15 reasons why we love the SIGVARIS brand and its products, and why you will, too.
SIGVARIS is the global market leader in medical compression garments.
While it’s still headquartered in its original home of Switzerland, SIGVARIS has production plants around the world in France, Poland, the U.S. and Brazil. The company also has subsidiaries in numerous countries—Germany, Austria, England, Italy, Canada, China, Australia, Mexico and a branch in the United Arab Emirates—not to mention distributors in more than 70 countries on all continents. SIGVARIS also manufactured eight million products in 2016.
It has more than 150 years of experience.
SIGVARIS celebrated its 150th anniversary back in 2014. The company was founded in 1864 in Winterthur, Switzerland by Moritz Ganzoni-Sträuli, who started manufacturing rubber-elastic textiles. The company sold these products for nearly 100 years and then began developing their first medical compression stocking with Dr. Karl Sigg from 1958 to 1960. The stockings were designed to improve venous function and relieve venous-related conditions, and the company introduced the stockings under the brand name “Sigvaris” at an international physicians’ conference in 1961.
The product took off, and production facilities soon expanded to cover the earth. SIGVARIS continued to manufacture different medical compression stockings and introduced two new lines—SPORTS and WELL BEING—in 2009. The company’s long-standing record of success continues and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
It’s 100% family-owned.
SIGVARIS is a private company that is 100 percent family-owned, ensuring a long line of leaders with a deep history and understanding of the product lines. In fact, the company didn’t have a chief executive officer (CEO) outside the family until Urs Toedtli took over the reins in 2010, meaning the company had 146 years of family leadership. This distinguishes it from competitors and is one of the factors that has contributed to SIGVARIS’s long legacy of success.
SIGVARIS is an innovator in compression technology.
Since introducing their first medical compression stocking back in 1961, SIGVARIS has continued to lead the charge in innovative compression gear. The company is known for using double-covered yarns that provide unparalleled softness and comfort, two qualities that other compression fabrics aren’t exactly known for. In addition, the company’s popular Microfiber Shades line provides the benefits of compression while wicking away moisture to keep feet dry and comfortable all day. The fabric is also incredibly durable and stands up well to daily wear.
Ames Walker is the exclusive retailer of the Microfiber Shades men’s compression sock in the khaki/tan stripe colorway.
On top of that, SIGVARIS is the only company in the medical compression category that makes compression garments from premium, natural fabrics, including cotton and wool. Their signature natural fiber socks are perfect for wearers with sensitive skin and also provide natural odor resistance and temperature regulation. Natural fiber compression socks from SIGVARIS are made of extra-long staple Supima cotton and Sea Island Cotton as well as fine Merino wool that mimics the feel of cashmere. These products make for a practical, luxurious and long-lasting compression sock choice.
It provides multiple different product lines.
Of course, SIGVARIS is renowned for its medical compression products, which is the first line of compression gear that it launched almost 60 years ago. However, the more recent SPORTS and WELL BEING lines, launched in 2009, have done extremely well in the near-decade since they were announced. These different product lines ensure that SIGVARIS has a solution for all your compression needs, whether you’re recovering after surgery or dealing with a serious medical condition, trying to boost your athletic performance or recover faster from workouts or just watching out for your circulation at your desk job.
SIGVARIS offers every level of compression possible.
The company’s wide array of options extends to the many levels of compression that it offers: mild (8-15 mmHg), moderate (15-20 mmHg), firm (20-30 mmHg), extra firm (30-40 mmHg) and severe (40-50 mmHg). Especially for the middle levels, SIGVARIS offers literally dozens of options to ensure that you can find compression gear that exactly suits your needs. And even at the more extreme ends of the spectrum, SIGVARIS still provides good variety for patients who need either mild or severe compression support.
It makes targeted products for different medical conditions.
If you have a health condition that affects your circulation and vein health, SIGVARIS probably offers a product to address it. Specific conditions include chronic venous diseases, acute venous diseases, varicose veins (a.k.a. spider veins), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), leg ulcers, diabetes, lymphedema and even pregnancy. Whether you need lymphedema compression wraps or maternity pantyhose, SIGVARIS has got you covered. While traveling isn’t a medical condition, the company also makes compression products to help frequent travelers avoid circulation problems while they’re on the road.
Nearly every style of sock and stocking is available.
SIGVARIS proves that compression gear doesn’t have to be unfashionable or limiting and offers a variety of styles on par with some non-compression brands. Solid or patterned dress socks, athletic socks and calf sleeves, lace-pattern or sheer thigh high stockings, maternity/plus-size pantyhose, winter wool socks, open- or close-toed (and even footless), neutral or colorful: You name the style, SIGVARIS makes and sells it. No matter your personal preference or your dress code at work, you’ll be able to find SIGVARIS compression stockings and socks that suit your wants and needs.
Its designs complement your daily outfit.
Speaking of styles, SIGVARIS makes compression gear that doesn’t look like compression gear. Whether you’re walking around the office or running on the trail, SIGVARIS compression stockings are designed to look like ordinary dress and athletic socks or tights and pantyhose. Your compression gear will be in incognito mode, and no one will be able to tell you’re wearing it unless you specifically tell them. You can go throughout your day confident that you look like any other working professional or athlete, while still getting the many benefits of compression.
It offers a wide range of sizes across products.
Depending on what SIGVARIS product you’re looking at, it probably comes in a wide variety of sizes, including small, medium, large, extra-large and extra-extra-large; offers even more options based on ankle and calf circumference (SS, SM, SL and so on); short or long; and even wide calf. Because of the wide variety of products offered, the sizing chart differs from product to product, so be sure to take your measurements and consult the chart before choosing a size. After all, correct fit is critical to the proper functioning of compression, so don’t just assume you know your size before putting it in your cart.
They have an app!
Sigvaris has an app that delivers an augmented reality of leg vein anatomy to help you learn more about the anatomical locations of important veins and how to they work. The app provides a user-friendly interface and a selection of their product lines and the efficacy of Sigvaris medical compression stockings.
The app is available on both the Google and Apple App stores and can be downloaded on Android or iOS devices.
SIGVARIS makes more than just socks and stockings.
Yes, socks and stockings are what first come to mind when you think of compression gear, and of course SIGVARIS manufactures many of these products. But the company also offers plenty of other products as well, including armsleeves and gauntlets for the upper body as well as non-elastic compression wraps for the foot, calf, knee, thigh and more. About two years ago in fall 2016, SIGVARIS acquired BiaCare, which helped broaden its product offerings and expand even further into products beyond socks and stockings that treat lymphedema, lipedema and chronic venous insufficiency.
It has created innovative accessories.
Any type of compression gear can be tricky to get on, and the higher the compression level offered by the product, the more difficult it is to don and doff. Thankfully, SIGVARIS offers accessories to assist with donning and doffing, including latex donning gloves for fine hosiery, latex-free donning gloves for those with allergies, the revolutionary Doff n’ Donner Cone. While on the topic of accessories, SIGVARIS also makes a special hosiery wash that removes oil, body acids and skin salts quickly and easily without damage to the fabric. The specially designed solution will help extend the life of all elastic garments.
SIGVARIS offers liners to improve the wearer’s comfort.
Compression gear can sometimes be hot and sweaty and cause chafing, especially if it’s a non-elastic, heavy compression wrap rather than socks or stockings. To help mitigate potential problems caused by these wraps, SIGVARIS offers several different kinds of non-compression liners that go under the wrap (next to the skin) to improve wearer comfort. The brand makes a basic soft and seamless cotton liner that comes in both knee- and thigh-high sizes for the legs as well as arm sleeves. It also offers a slightly more advanced soft, bacteriostatic knee-high liner with flat seams, dri-release moisture wicking and odor control technology.
Its ACCUTAB device helps you measure your compression.
When donning any compression wrap products, including the SIGVARIS CompreFlex line, it’s critical to wrap the product tightly enough (but not too tight) in order to achieve the ideal level of compression necessary to manage your symptoms. However, it can be hard to calibrate the right level of compression on your own simply by eyeballing it. That’s why SIGVARIS offers ACCUTAB, a simple compression measuring device that delivers precision dosages for controlled initial resting pressure. Simply attach the tab to each strap of the wrap (without stretching the fabric!) and then gently pull the wrap to the prescribed pressure dosage on the tab that you’d like to achieve.
SIGVARIS may have been around for a century and a half, but the company is hardly resting on its laurels. Each year it continues to make strategic moves that prove why it remains the global market leader in medical compression garments, from launching innovative new products to solving consumer problems like sizing and donning/doffing. While we could continue to wax eloquent on why we love the SIGVARIS brand and its products, we’ll leave it at these 15 reasons for now. If you’d like, you can browse the dozens of SIGVARIS products that we offer on our website.
Kaki Zell - Vice President of Sales, Marketing, eCommerce at Legs-4-Life LLC Kaki holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She’s been working in the medical device industry for over 11 years and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Greensboro Science Center.
Written September 2018 | Page last updated November 2021
Sources:
Apple. “ Sigvaris Group Vein App”