Rep Tie

A rep tie woven from silk nep yarn, spun from the silk of cultivated silkworms.

Silk nep, also known in Japan as tsumugi yarn, is made from shorter fibers than ordinary silk thread.

Its low sheen and slubbed surface give it warmth for a silk. It sits as well with corduroy and tweed jackets as it does with a navy blazer.

The neps on the surface keep the knot from slipping, so it holds its shape once tied.

Trinity Hall Boat Club, Cambridge, 1887
Henley Royal Regatta winners
Photographer unknown / Public domain
Wikimedia Commons

The rep tie began in late 19th-century Britain as a striped tie whose colors were set by regiments, schools, clubs and the like to show who belonged.

When it crossed to America in the early 20th century, the stripes are said to have been reversed from the British direction so as not to claim an affiliation.

The stripes on "Rep Tie" follow that American direction, running down from left to right.

The make takes the full, rounded blade of vintage rep ties as its model, and is finished with no stitching on the back of the tie.

The blade swells slightly and takes on a dimension that flat-pressed modern ties lack.

At 165 cm overall, it runs slightly long for a tie. The length allows for ways of wearing it that put more into the knot.

Even tied in a double knot for a fuller knot...

Even with the knot lifted by a tab collar or a collar pin, the blade does not ride too high...

And it still reaches far enough to tuck into the waist of your trousers.

It is made by a tie maker in Taito, Tokyo, that has worked on ties for 40 years.

A rep tie whose length suits any knot or pin, and whose warm texture widens the ways you can build the V-zone.

Length: 165 cm

Material: 100% silk

Made in Japan