Tony Curtis

Patterned Interiors

Wiener Werkstatte room in 'Osterrisches Haus' at Cologne Werkbund Exhibition, 1914.
Reference taken from the book: 'Wonderful Wiener Werkstatte - Design in Vienna 1903-1932' by Christian Brandstatter. Blurb taken from the introduction below...

'At the turn of the 20th Century, Vienna was the European epicentre of innovation of the arts. in 1903 the Vienna Workshops were created - an idealistic offspring of Art Nouveau that, in resistance to increasing mass production and industrialisation, called for integregation of the fine and applied arts, the union of form and function in design, and treatment of everyday objects with refined craftmanship and aesthetic care. The movement embraced all areas of arts and design.'

This approach and point of view is completely in-keeping with the Marwood ethos and fits in perfectly with our decision making process when designing and producing Marwood Ties.

Just a Madder of Time

What is a 'madder' tie?

The word 'madder' refers to a natural dye from a Eurasian herbaceous plant, Rubia Tinctoria, and it was the root from this plant that was used as a regal dyestuff since ancient times. Only since the 19th century has this special dye been used mostly on silk and it is known for producing soft, muted, deep colours in a tight palette of red, green, chocolate, medium blue and yellow. The distinguishable feature of silk printed with the madder dye, along with the colours, is the dusty-looking finish and soft, brushed hand-feel (commonly described as a 'chalk hand'); this is created by initially using a special type of 'gum' silk for this printing process, which is first treated separately by being boiled to remove its natural gum, then dyed and then bathed in a new gum solution.
Madder ties have become a very well recognised symbol of an English Gentleman's warbrobe , in paisley or a small geometric pattern and reliable merchants such as Drakes or labels along Savile Row take pride in still providing it in their offerings. It does however tend to look old and it often gets avoided as it could appear to be 'stuffy' or too traditional.
As for Marwood... we definitely want to embrace this craft, especially as it uses such a painstaking and unique process known to be English. Although this may not be present in the first collection, we are investigating contacts and think it would be even better to do as a collaboration. A limited run of a madder printed tie - but with the Marwood edge? We look forward to working on it.

Boys and their Toys

We picked up these postcards the other day and they have good Marwood spirit.

Photographer: Roman Signer

A bit about Drakes of London

Drakes of London are the makers of the finest English neckties. They have been around since 1977 and have their own tie-making facilities on their premises in Clerkenwell, London. Here at Marwood we admire Drakes for producing a quality product that truely provides for the traditional tie-wearing City worker yet recently they have also responded to the demand from stores such as Dover Street Market and Comme des Garçons for a more modern take on neckwear, and it is this part of their collection which Marwood is in a way competing with. There is a demand for modern, relevant neckwear for a fashion conscious consumer who still cares about tradition and quality assurance. Marwood's initial vehicle is neckwear and it allows us to explore and design with pattern in wool and silk. Every tie in the Marwood collection will be a pattern of some kind (no stripes or motifs though) and although it will be reminiscent of the past, it will have a strong image and modern context, making it an appealing new choice.

Tie Making from a Garden Shed

On the far right side of this photo (callumtoy.co.uk) you can see the front entrance to the garden shed that has been converted in to a tie-making studio on the border of Scotland...

A shed with a view of fields to the horizon.

Below, Frances sewing the lining in for a 'machine-made' tie using a special feeder on the machine to ensure it's stitched centrally. Marwood is developing the majority of its tie range as a hand-made product which will not involve this machine, however it is a good option for a more commercial price-friendly end of the range. Machine-made ties are not to be snubbed as long as the correct process is used, however the refined finish of a hand-finish is a definitely noticable and worth the extra pennies.Frances showing me her process on a sunny day in Berwickshire.

Discussing lining qualities for Marwood ties.

A couple of weeks ago Marwood made a journey on British Rail to Berwick-upon-Tweed to visit a tie-maker who will work on developing the perfect Marwood tie. We found out about Frances through a Welsh Mill (Cambrian) who pointed us in her direction and it was a pleasure to visit her unique set-up. Frances has made ties for the past 30 years and her company was a victim of the recession last year, so she downsized and decided to take a handful of clients and work on a more personal level from her back garden. It has proved a success and she has been busier than ever.

These photographs were taken by Callum Toy who shot everything on film (as he always does) and Marwood is happy to have his support and interest in recording the behind-the-scenes of Marwood Ties as they are being made and developed. Marwood met Callum through the silk mill Stephen Walters and has not looked back since. A fantastic collaboration that we hope to continue, particularly as this is a small part of a greater story that Toy will undertake concerning the documentation of the entire silk process.

To be continued...

Henry

Wearing a vintage tie picked out from Marwood's research box, Henry styles it out perfectly with an old tie clip and tweed jacket and blue shirt just to throw it off slightly. Looking sharp Mr Preston.

Travelling Ties

Auction site: http://www.1860-1960.com/
Looking on this auction site for research I came across this silk tie case from the 1880s. A modern version of this is the wooden tie box, this is one of Marwood's own collection photographed below. It would be interesting to develop a combination of these two to create a workable, modern storage method which is nostalgic but not sentimental and designed to look as impressive as the wooden version but perhaps more user friendly - particularly for travelling, which if we are honest is when ties get crushed and distorted and begin to look like rags.

Men Improve with the Years?

Finding lovely old books is always a pleasure.

Russell and Hodge Bespoke London Shirtmakers

The attention to detail and bespoke service that can be found in London is something to be proud of. Ideally Marwood will eventually create an off-the-peg shirt (as well as custom-made) that will be reliably considerate to detail but have a less formal finesse to it. Quality won't be compromised but the option of formal clothing with a subtle edge is where we are heading. Textures and patterns leave a less polished finish on high class cottons (in a good way) and as the shirt is the backdrop to the centre piece necktie, it has to complement and accentuate it in every way.

Dalston Lane Cafe

Marwood spotted this tie-wearer over lunch today. This kind fellow offered to de-knot himself in order for me to take a closer look and he explained that this tie was very old and once belonged to his Dad. This is a current theme that keeps occurring... a nostalgic element to aquiring neckwear and we at Marwood believe this is due to a lack of options these days. Some of the best ties we have found are in the bottom of a decrepid suitcase at the back of a vintage store and if the pattern is right, you can guarantee the quality of cloth or the dimensions of the tie won't be. We may be repeating ourselves on this point but seeing as it is the main driving force behind Marwood's aesthetic and design philosophy - you will hear it again.
Although Marwood won't help you out with any striped, knitted or square end ties (sorry Cafe fellow), it will aim to please in offering new, multi-patterned, quality assured options that will act as a focus point to a casual day (pop to the cafe) kind of look or a formal wedding.

Marwood patterns are in work and currently being spun on the loom in the finest silk and wool. The first collection will be launched in January 2011.

Home-made

http://conniesewer.typepad.com/rememberme/encounters-with-strangers/

This enthusiastic tie creation definitely creates an individual look. Found on Coniesewer blog, it is a great example of how neck-wear can make a man's look feel complete - even when the look is not generically 'formal'. Neck-wear represents pride and a sense of importance and occasion yet doesn't display arrogance (unless we are referring to a wide, brash tie finished with a 'footballer's' over-sized knot - that is open to a very different interpretation I am afraid).

This man, Lloyd, who Conniesewer met at a coffee shop taught her two things... 1) Lloyd walks five miles to breakfast every day and rewards himself with an egg and cheese sandwich. 2) Lloyd fashioned his bolo tie out of a belt.
A sense of occasion? 5 miles walk to breakfast is definitely worthy of a considered outfit - and definitely worthy of some statement neck-wear, especially when it is fashioned from imagination.

Cocteau Encore

Porthmeor Studios

Terry Frost, Porthmeor Studios
Porthmeor beach, St Ives

Koons - perfectly packaged

In search of this... or a vintage leather suitcase.