The English Handmade Tie

All of our ties are completely handmade in the heart of London. Drawing on our rich heritage and carefully adhering to the traditions of craftsmanship built up over thirty years of striving for excellence, our meticulous attention to detail is never compromised and we are proud to create the totally authentic, ultimate English handmade tie.

What Makes a Drakes Handmade Tie So Special?

Our ties are cut by hand from generous blocks of the finest silks, using a different set of patterns for each quality of silk. The generous blocks allow all three parts of the tie to be cut “fully on the bias”, and also insure sufficient cloth to create a deep fold at the back of the tie so it can be hand slipped more securely.

The three silk tie parts – the blade, neck, and tail – are first joined together, then a pure silk tipping is sewn into the blade and tail. Our 36 oz silk foulard prints are self-tipped with the outer fabric. The open-tipped tie is inspected for correct length, precision of the tipping, and smoothness of the jointure. The tie is now ready for the important art of hand slipping.

The artisan slipper carefully folds and pins the interlining into the tipped blade until the correct shape has been achieved. Then, using one continuous length of silken thread in the time-honoured classic slip stitch, the slipper joins the tie silk together with the interlining. It's a delicate operation because the folded back join must be kept in the center of the tie and the interlining and tie silk must be carefully taken up by the slip stitch without piercing the surface of the tie. The tie loop, cut from the same silk block as the tie, is then inserted into the back seam at a precisely measured point and caught by the slip stitch. The interlining edges must be firmly against the silk but not taut; no wrinkle or tightness must appear.

Leaving a slip knot – the functionally important hallmark of the handmade tie - inside the fold at the tail completes the slipping. The knot's function is to take up the stretch in the silk that occurs during the life of the tie. The tie and the interlining are then as one.

The tie is again inspected, gently hand pressed, and the keeper loop is carefully folded back onto itself and hand sewn at each of its four corners onto the tie. Finally, having undergone 18 separate quality checks during production, the Drake's label is stitched on by hand. The finished tie is now ready to be put into its protective cover and boxed ready for delivery.

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