How It Began - A Brief History

In 1926, New York tailor Jesse Langsdorf invented the 3-piece construction neckties cut on a bias. Prior to his improvements, ties had been prone to twisting and misshaping, and were harder to tie. Langsdorf's innovation grew popularity and became the ties we know of today.

However, uniformity is a trade-off to Langsdorf's design. These ties can only be, well, tie-shaped. For this reason, ties from 1920's onwards mainly vary on widths, fabric patterns, and colours. Even the wildest deviations from conventional ties were still limited to reintroducing styles from prior decades, such as the square-tipped ties or knitted ties.

After nearly nine decades of stagnation in ties and the stifling-corporate-world stigma that becomes associated with ties, a new way of engineering ties finally comes around (That's us!). With this innovative leap forward, ties can finally take on new silhouettes and new designs. Along with this comes a new identity for ties: bold, creative, and sexy.

A New Necktie Era

At Knot Theory, we set out to create something new. Our first necktie design in 2009 - inspired by architectural structures - brought many new challenges to the table. After months of teaming with experts in their fields and customizing the machinery, we finally developed techniques which made complex tie silhouettes possible.

Innovations in Form & Function

For form and function, we were motivated to skip the tying of ties. Every time a tie is tied, friction and twisting shorten its lifespan. Our goal was to minimize distortion and protect the integrity of the ties. We aim to produce timeless designs, so we want our ties to have the longevity to match.

After many trials and refinements (seven, to be exact!), we developed the interchangeable knot. The Link Closure Knot is an asymmetric piece which forms a perfect four-in-hand knot. Inspired by the early 19th century detachable cuffs and chained cufflinks, the knot is elegantly secured with a stainless steel chain link.

Aside from being more gentle on the ties, the link closure knots make adjusting the tie length a breeze. No matter what height or waistline, you'll never have to wrestle with tying a tie to the right length. In fact you'll never have to wrestle with tying a tie at all!

As ideas developed upon ideas, we had a Skittle-moment and realized that the knot doesn't have to be the same colour as the tie. We came up with new colour palettes for the knots, so you can own one tie and match it to different coloured knots. It makes tie-wearing even more versatile and fun. With this we came up with even more ideas, such as knots with embroidered designs. They get quite a lot of (great) attention!

Knot Theory is creative movement striving to make a difference. We invite you to share us with like-minds and bright minds: Share on Facebook. With your support, you can definitely expect more thinking outside the box from Knot Theory.

Stay creative and curious,
Knot Theory Team
Vancouver, Canada