What makes the TikTok viral “bare-leg artifact” so impressive?

Since October, TikTok has been bustling—on one side is the Black Friday mega sale, on the other is the Christmas season. Although temperatures in the US keep dropping, sellers’ businesses are heating up.

Recently, while checking the rankings, Tuke noticed that the popularity of thermal products is soaring, and one particular pair of thermal pants has gone viral,selling over 80,000 pieces in 30 days and raking in $2.16 million (about 15.39 million RMB)!

That’s nearly3,000 pairs sold per day—a truly phenomenal bestseller.

 

Image source:TikTok

These pants are from a store calledSWEET MAYHEM, and although it’s an older product, its vitality is extremely strong.

Since its launch last year, it has sold over400,000 pairs, with total sales ofaroundover $9 million, making it a perennial favorite repeatedly validated by the market.

So here’s the question: What makes a pair of thermal pants so popular?

 

Image source:TikTok

The key to its success isn’t just the basic function of“keeping warm.” After all, there are plenty of pants that keep you warm. What really appeals to people are two other points.

First, it’s sufficiently“invisible”—its color is designed to closely match skin tone.

Second, it’s highly inclusive in sizing, meeting the needs of different body types, especially plus-size girls.

This concept is exactly the same as the “bare-leg artifact” that was hugely popular in China a few years ago—both hit the core pain point of consumers who want to stay warm in winter without sacrificing aesthetics.

 

Image source:TikTok Shop

Because of this, influencers in their product videos all tacitly focus on these two points.

They don’t emphasize how warm it is (since that’s basic), but instead showcase its amazing stretch and highlight that any body type can wear it comfortably.

 

Image source:TikTok

Here, we have to mention TikTok influencer Allie, who has long collaborated withSWEET MAYHEM.TikTok influencer Allie.

In her videos, besides showcasing the features of the thermal pants, she repeatedly mentions phrases like“selling fast,” “almost out of stock,” and “buy quickly while it’s on sale,” creating a sense of urgency that can further boost conversion rates and keep the bestseller’s sales climbing.

 

Image source:TikTok

So, the viral success of these thermal pants is no accident—it’s the result of choosing the right brand+precise marketing working together.

The takeaway for fellow sellers is: a good product is the foundation, but being able to tell a story and stir consumer emotions is the key to explosive traffic.

 

Image source:Echotik

Spotting bestsellers, discovering the market

The viral success of these leggingsalso reveals a huge potential market.You might not imagine that in the US, obesity is a very common social phenomenon.

According to data,the US obesity rate ranks very high among high-income countries, with male and female obesity rates exceeding40%. Simply put, out of every 10 Americans, at least 4 need to wear plus-size clothing—this is a real, hard demand market.

 

Image source:worldobesity

However, mainstream fashion brands have often ignored this group in the past, thinking they’re not“fashionable.”

This has left a huge gap in the market,witha large group of people who also love beauty and want to dress stylishly, but struggle to find suitable clothes.

For sellers, entering this field is not just about selling products, but also about conveying values of inclusivity and respect. When you serve a group that’s been long overlooked, their brand loyalty in return often exceeds your expectations.

This brings us toanothersuccessful Tuke brand——Blooming Jelly.

Founded in 2014, this brand specializes in plus-size swimwear and women’s clothing for Tuke, winning countless fans with its “freedom to dress” brand philosophy.

 

Image source:Blooming Jelly

In terms of products,Blooming Jellycovers sizes fromS to 4XL, so whether you’re slightly chubby or have a larger body type, you can find suitable styles. Their swimwear and dresses are stylishly designed, completely breaking the stereotype that “plus-size = loose and frumpy.”

On the marketing side, they abandoned hard-selling and instead partnered withTiKTokinfluencers to embed their products in real-life scenarios.

According to data,over70% of their sales come from influencer recommendations, and among the 9,000+ creators they’ve worked with, those with 10,000–100,000 followers (“mid- and long-tail influencers”) account for over 46%.

Thanks to a series of operations,Blooming Jelly’s performance has soared.

In just a year and a half after Tuke, they achieved $7.38 million (about 52 million RMB) in sales on TikTok Shop, selling over 240,000 swimsuits, and have now become a hot brand in the North American plus-size women’s clothing market.

 

Image source:Fastmoss

We won’t go into detail aboutBlooming Jelly here. If you’re interested, check out Tuke’s previous articles for a more detailed analysis~

To sum up:

Whenyou seea pair of viral leggings,what it really points to is a plus-size market full of potential.

Consumers in this market have more urgent needs and stronger emotions. Once you offer what they want, they’ll “vote” for you with their wallets.

It’s like falling in love—when you truly meet the other’s needs, this “mutual pursuit” can be sweet and long-lasting.

Just a tip: since the bare-leg artifact is so popular, selling thermal long johns to foreigners might be worth a try too~