And this winter they have started to take New York by storm, sported by the likes of Justin Bieber and Lenny Kravitz.
Now they are expected to follow the skinny jeans trend by crossing the Atlantic to British high streets.
Uniqlo is already selling male leggings through its British website, with other retailers likely to follow.
Designers have been putting male models in leggings for years, but not everyone who tried them has been convinced – with criticisms ranging from “hot and uncomfortable” to “Where do you put your wallet?”.
One Manhattan resident proud to show off his legs is English internet entrepreneur Mark Dorosz, 34.
He told a newspaper: “Male tights are so much more comfortable than skinny jeans. I’ve always had good legs and it’s nice to show them off all year round.”
But fellow New Yorker Gabriel Cru, 35, said: “Men in tights? Get out of here. We don’t do men in tights in New York. That’s European.”
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