Making Ties Cool Again
After a week of sales, the company had to make a second run. $79 each, or $225 for the trio; jacques-elliott.com
Photographer: Patricia Lopez for Bloomberg Businessweek
Famous guitarists aren’t usually known for their tie predilections, but Albert Hammond Jr.—from the Strokes and releasing a solo album in July—has always been a fan of the suited-up look. After wearing some silk from the young New York brand Jacques Elliott, Hammond, 35, reached out to designer Elliot Aronow about collaborating on some summer neckwear.
Ties have had a rough go of it lately. The market’s dropped to $850 million—about half the size of its mid-’90s heyday, say analysts at NPD Group—as suited men opt instead for plain oxford shirts or T-shirts with blazers. So Hammond decided to update the staid accessory with slightly shiny textures, a herringbone pattern you only notice up close, and in one instance, a tiny red lightning bolt modeled on the design of his guitar strap.