The hair care company 12 Benefits was already dedicated to developing innovative products specifically for salon professionals when founder Troy Maier came across an article in The New York Times that focused on the long workdays people were putting in. A soft economy, the article explained, meant that jobs might pay less and some people would be working two jobs or extended hours to earn the same income they used to earn in a regular eight-hour day.

“That resonated with me regarding the beauty industry,” Maier says. “There used to be a joke about this career: Which eight-hour day do you want to work, the first half or the last half?”

As Maier continued reading, he saw that, indeed, a hairdresser was featured among workers the reporter had interviewed. She was working in two different salons, and her long days sent her looking for solutions to her leg pain. In the article, she mentioned that she had gotten into the habit of wearing medical-quality compression stockings.

Maier didn’t think stylists should have to settle for the bland, heavy stockings available to medical professionals, and he became determined to offer something trendier and more comfortable. He and his team began working with a leading manufacturer that agreed to tailor the medical compression stockings to the beauty industry.

“We wanted colors for hairdressers, and we looked at new fabrics that would be stretchy and soft,” Maier says. The result is Stand+Deliver, which Maier says “do not feel like compression socks. They’re lightweight and super comfy.” Available in black, pink and black toeless for wear with open-toe shoes, the compression socks cost $30 each and are certified by the American Podiatric Medical Association.