The brainchild of chemist Wallace Carothers at DuPont ninety years ago, nylon strutted onto the scene as the very first synthetic fiber, with earlier manmade fibers rayon and acetate being plant-based. Strong, stretchy, fast-drying, and resistant to bugs and rot—nylon was a sensation. First used for toothbrushes in 1938, it hit the fashion scene with a bang in 1939 when women’s hosiery took center stage, creating a nylon frenzy that had everyone clamoring for more. During WWII, nylon traded its