When you think of ties you may think of brands like Hugo Boss, Burberry, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, and many more. None of which were designed and produced in our state of Michigan's capital.
A local brand of ties wants to make sure you think of Lansing before making your next tie purchase.
These aren't just your normal everyday ties, Beauhawk specializes in taking two complimentary fabrics and using them in one bow tie to create two bow ties in one.
"We have one fabric on one side and then the another fabric on the other side. So, the fabric that shows depends on how you tie the bow," said Iian Mull, co-owner and designer. "It adds versatility as well as a little flavor."
But why bow ties and how did Beauhawk come up with the idea to make them more versatile? Learn about all that and more below.
Why bow ties?
Studies showed that physicians were carrying a lot of disease from patient to patient with their long ties. In Britain, they had a no-tie bow tie law, where you could only wear bow ties to the hospital if you were a Doctor or physician. So I thought this might be a great opportunity to capture this market. Most physicians do like to look nice. My partner is a physician and started to wear bow ties because of this.
Another reason we did this is because there weren't a lot of great fun options for bow ties.
How did you come up with the idea to make a more versatile tie?
We started off just doing bow ties. Through our process we realized we were better off using the double sided fabric. It allowed us to express ourselves and offer a product that was differentiated in the market.
Who would you consider your customer?
The bow tie wearer is somebody who is not afraid to express themselves. They like to dress up, they like to stand apart. They like to have a little bit of a fashion playfulness to them. They typically want something that would fit in socially but also make them the center of attention.
What is your ultimate goal with Beauhawk?
My goal is to expand. We started off with just bow ties. We moved into long ties and lapel pins. We are in product development for a couple other product categories right now. Very similar to Ralph Lauren -- he started with ties as well.
What's your style?
It’s very colorful and preppy. But I also like to wear jeans and boots. So I like to mix highbrow and lowbrow.
Is this reflected in your work?
Yes, I wanted to take a tradition and give it a little twist, make it a little more wearable everyday.
If you could choose a celebrity to wear your ties, who would it be?
I see more of the everyday man/hipster wearing them. But Joseph Gordon Levitt, I think he would look fantastic in my ties. Brad Goreski from Fashion Police would look fantastic in them. Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington. People who are more playful. Johnny Depp would look great in my ties.
Which designers do you look up to?
Tom Ford, what he's done in his career is phenomenal. John Galliano is amazing. Martin Margiela is incredibly cerebral but is able to bring an aesthetic look to it. His designs are artistic. In terms of women, Vivienne Westwood, she's a fantastic designer. I'm inspired by people that play it by the book a little bit but also break the mold.
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Beauhawk's prices range as low as $14.99 and as high as $69 with lapel pins being on the cheaper side. Ties and lapel pins can be purchased through the website at www.beauhawk.com or through The Runway at http://www.runwaylansing.com.
