Handmade Silk Ties

To make handmade ties to the standards that we have imposed upon ourselves is anything but simple. To do it consistently well demands tremendous dedication, skill and organisation. Drawing on our rich heritage all Drakes ties continue to be completely handmade in the heart of London, carefully adhering to the traditions and knowledge built up over thirty years of striving for excellence. The constant attention to detail we give the product is never compromised with all our silk ties handmade by dedicated crafts people to a uniform precision. We are proud to create totally authentic mens' ties which continue to be a modern and entirely relevant accessory, the ultimate English handmade tie.

WHAT MAKES A DRAKES HANDMADE TIE SO SPECIAL?

The ties are cut by hand from generous blocks of silk; the cutter works with a different set of patterns for each quality of silk taking into account the varying handling characteristics of each and every cloth quality. The generously sized block allows all three parts of the tie to be cut 'fully on the bias' and also ensures that there is sufficient cloth to create a deep fold at the back of the tie, which apart from giving it a more luxurious feel, enables the tie to be hand slipped more securely.

After cutting the three silk tie parts, the blade, neck and tail are first joined together. Pure silk tipping is then sewn into the blade and the tail of the tie. This is the only machine sewn operation in the making of a Drakes tie. In the case of 36oz silk foulard prints the tipping is self i.e. as the outer cloth. The open tipped tie is inspected taking into consideration the length, precision of the tipping and the joining of the three pieces of silk. The tie is now ready for hand slipping.

The slipper inserts the interlining into the tipped blade and begins to carefully fold and pin the silk around the lining until she is fully satisfied that the correct shape has been achieved. Using one continuous length of silken thread the slipper uses the classic slip stitch to join the handmade tie together, making sure the folded join is kept in the centre of the tie and that the interlining and tie silk are being caught by the slip stitch, without piercing the surface of the tie. At a precise measurement, the tie loop, which has been cut from the same silk block as the tie, is inserted into the back seam and caught by the slip stitch. The interlining edges must be hard against the silk but not taut; no wrinkle or tightness must appear. The tie and interlining are then as one.

Leaving a slip knot inside the fold at the tail end of the tie completes the slipping. The slip knot is not only the hallmark of the handmade tie; it is a functional and important detail. The loop's function is to take up the stretch in the silk that occurs during the life of the tie.

The silk tie is inspected again and before careful and gentle pressing it can now go on to its final stage - looping and labelling. The loop is carefully folded back onto itself and hand sewn at each of its four corners onto the tie. The Drakes label is finally stitched by hand. The Drakes silk tie is now made, and has been subject to 18 separate quality checks during production. The luxury handmade tie is now ready to be put into its protective cover and boxed ready for delivery.