From Dance Floors to Bowties: The Story Behind Stranger Ties

When people ask me how I ended up making bowties, I like to say it all started somewhere out at sea. For years, I worked as a professional dancer on cruise ships, packing my life into two suitcases, and rotating through the same formal outfits week after week. As someone who’s always loved being creative, I started feeling the need to add a little more personality to my wardrobe.

That’s how the idea of making my own bowties was born. Bowties were perfect: small enough to pack easily, versatile enough to change up my look without needing a whole new blazer, or shirt and a perfect canvas for a bit of quirky creativity. During breaks between contracts, I started experimenting making bowties with standard bough fabrics but soon decided I needed to create my own fabrics too.

I tried all sorts of DIY methods to print my own fabrics, from sticking fabric onto label sheets and running them through a regular inkjet printer (which led to plenty of printer jams) to using t-shirt transfers that just didn’t feel right. Eventually (after countless hours exploring pinterest/youtube) I discovered sublimation printing, and that changed everything. Suddenly, I could digitally design and then print my own vibrant, custom patterned fabrics, which meant I could finally make the most awesome bowties I could imagine!

Examples of me wearing my custom Bowties at sea:

Today, Stranger Ties is all about bringing that same spirit of fun and individuality to people who want something more than just a standard accessory. From the first sci-fi bowtie I made (I’ll tell you more about that in the future) to the endless custom designs I can make now, it’s been an awesome journey and I’m excited to share it with all of you.

That mission of adding fun, creativity, and a spark of strangeness to formalwear continues today. Why not take a look at the newest Stranger Ties bowties or join my newsletter community and come along for the journey!