Our specialty lies in the production of ties, but have you ever wondered about the origin of this elegant accessory?
The truth is that the exact origin of this accessory is not known, but it is believed to have emerged around 1650. At that time, Croatian mercenaries serving Louis XIV arrived in France wearing a strip of cloth tied around their necks, which formed a rosette at its ends. These strips made such an impression that “la croata,” now known as the tie, quickly became fashionable. Its appearance had such an impact at the time that Louis XV himself created the position of “tie holder” at the royal court, whose sole purpose was to put on and take off the king’s tie.
Since then, the art of tying a piece of fabric around the neck has become the most elegant symbol of men’s attire, and the tie itself has become a piece that more than 600 million men use daily in various ways, as documented in “L’Art De Se Mettre La Cravatte” (a manual attributed to Honorato de Balzar, published in Paris in 1827), which describes multiple ways to tie it: Windsor, Half Windsor, English, American, etc.
As a curious anecdote, it is said that Napoleon always wore a black tie with a white edge. On the morning of June 18, 1815, according to Mr. Beausset, the palace prefect, he decided to change his tie, and that same day, he lost the Battle of Waterloo.