Sam Hober Newsletter

Sam Hober May 2026 Newsletter
Sam Hober May 2026 Newsletter
Hello Friends, The above EGT-19 silk is one that Vanners wove for us around 25 years ago - and I thought was sold out. While helping Neils a customer who... Read more...
Sam Hober April 2026 Newsletter
Sam Hober April 2026 Newsletter
Hello Friends,   White couches, rugs and wallets have something in common - beautiful, elegant and dangerous...   Stephen is going on a trip and wanted to commission a special... Read more...
Sam Hober February 2026 Newsletter - Tie Storage
Sam Hober February 2026 Newsletter - Tie Storage
Derek a new friend is a philosopher - who recently emailed me about storing ties. He lives in an apartment in New York and is running out of space for... Read more...
Sam Hober October 2025 Newsletter
Sam Hober October 2025 Newsletter
Hello Friends, An elegant Modern Madder printed by Adamley for us on a heavy twill silk. In October we received our new solid silk knit ties, knitted on a flat... Read more...
Sam Hober September 2025 Newsletter
Sam Hober September 2025 Newsletter
Hello Friends, A beautiful Thai shot silk. September was a month for farming and planning. For generations we grew mulberrywood trees so we could feed silk worms their leaves and... Read more...
Sam Hober August 2025 Newsletter
Sam Hober August 2025 Newsletter
Hello Friends, Belgian Linen Pocket Square with two rows of traditional Thai stars with dark navy blue thread. Ordered by Douglas from Niagara on the Lake in Canada. Belgium, Northern... Read more...
Sam Hober July 2025 New and Rewoven Silks
Sam Hober July 2025 New and Rewoven Silks
Hello Friends, Flat edged woven silk ties made from a Grenadine Fina and Mulberrywood weaveordered by Adam from Australia. They have an interesting look and they are making me rethink... Read more...
Sam Hober Newsletter June 2025 New Silks
Sam Hober Newsletter June 2025 New Silks
Hello Friends, An unusual color combination that I like - ordered by Brian from Connecticut.A very busy month we continue to order grenadine silks as we run out... Our current... Read more...
May 2025 Sam Hober Newsletter
May 2025 Sam Hober Newsletter
Cummerbund and Bow Tie made from Black Grosgrain silk woven by Fermo Fossati in the north of Italy. This morning Eric made the order for the above Cummerbund and Bow... Read more...
Sam Hober April 2025 Newsletter - Earthquakes and Ties
We have been having some excitement - an earthquake that had its epicenter in Mandalay, Myanmar which is not far from us - about 300 miles away. Luckily our workshop is solidly built and had no damage. Our staff spent about an hour outside to be sure there were no after shocks and then we were back to work. Bangkok which is much further away had more damage - partially as they have more high story buildings. And partially as the soil is looser as it is near the water.... Read more...
Sam Hober March 2025 Newsletter - Tools & Technology
First, we have been having fun making new patchwork ties. Next, we have a new tool - a website that is in development that will have better photos and content. We are also testing out some titanium rotary blades for cutting silk. Titanium turns out to be quite sharp for a day or two but not as durable as a good quality stainless steel rotary blade.We don't like to use scissors as they are not as good as rotary blades at cutting curves and angles on silk. Sort of like... Read more...
Sam Hober February 2025 Newsletter - Patchwork
Sam Hober February 2025 Newsletter - Patchwork
Stephen our longtime friend and customer mentioned the idea of Patchwork ties to me recently, and at first I wasn't sure how they would look. Then we decided to have... Read more...
Sam Hober January 2025 Newsletter - Our Roadmap for the year ahead
Sam Hober January 2025 Newsletter - Our Roadmap for the year ahead
Currently celebrating the New Year with a one week break here on our farm in the north of Thailand. Note: perfect weather - except no skiing. I have been thinking... Read more...
Sam Hober December 2024 Newsletter - Adam Smith and The Silk Industry Trends
Many years ago we used to raise silk worms in Thailand and weave our own silks using traditional Thai designs at first and later adapting Thai silk to modern designs such as British regimental stripes. We did our own silk weaving by hand and it was a labor of love both fascinating, interesting, and a very difficult and slow process... We created a small and unique niche in the tie market and all worked well at first; then we started to slowly grow and developed a backlog of orders... that... Read more...
Sam Hober November 2024 Newsletter - Custom made/Bespoke Ties vs Custom weaving
Let me start by saying that the British term - bespoke ties - and the American term - custom made ties -are exactly the same. We are in the custom made tie business (I am American which is the only reason I say custom made). Which means we stock fabrics; (mostly silk but some cashmere, cotton and linen etc.) and take bespoke orders for ties, bow ties, barrister ties, cummerbunds,silk wallets, pocket squares and other items. If a customer is in a hurry and does not need a custom crafted... Read more...
Sam Hober October 2024 Newsletter - Trends in the Tie Industry
I remember around 10 years ago I was talking to Peter Nicholson (one of the two brothers who own Atkinsons Irish poplin) about the decreasing number of silk mills available for tie makers to work with. Sadly the trend continues. Although sometimes bankruptcies are not the issue and two companies can merge together. Recently two of our favorite silks weavers: Fermo Fossati and Bianchi merged together. They are the only two weavers of real grenadine silk in the world and we love working with the two variations of grenadine silk.... Read more...
Sam Hober September 2024 Newsletter Tie Width and Length
Our view is that the width of a tie should match a man's height and weight with fashion being an afterthought... Why? Because our focus is on making beautiful ties that you can wear for many years and not be concerned with fashion. Matching to a suit's lapel is a sartorial myth and not an issue. In America men tend to have bigger bodies as time goes on and 3.5 to 3.75 inches is a classic width for a tie at its widest. If you are young, or very fit... Read more...
Sam Hober August 2024 Newsletter - Shopping
Shopping for clothes can be fun - and often it is necessary for developing your own personal style. You can't rely on fashion experts and bloggers etc. You need to buy small amounts of clothes and wear them - then you will have your own personal style. This is why we offer lots of options - so you can focus on what you prefer for your own timeless style rather than changing fashions... I can remember being a boy (around ten for this memory) in New York and walking with... Read more...
Sam Hober July 2024 Newsletter - Baudelaire Bow Tie
Sam Hober July 2024 Newsletter - Baudelaire Bow Tie
Sometimes just for fun we will take on a historical project - in this case we created a modern version of the bow tie pattern that the poet Charles Baudelaire... Read more...
Sam Hober June 2024 Newsletter - Courtroom Ties
Courtroom cases are formal events and ties are normally still worn. Close to 20 years ago The Tie Advocate a friend who's heart lies in the courtroom started a conversation with me about how the colors and patterns of ties effect a court case. We are republishing his article that he wrote for us let us know if you agree with hIm... TIE-ING A LOOK TOGETHER OR TRYING TIES By The Tie Advocate Early morning, I have a big day ahead of me. I have a big trial, a big... Read more...
Sam Hober May 2024 Newsletter - Formal Ties
Sam Hober May 2024 Newsletter - Formal Ties
Formal silks range from silver patterns and stripes worn traditionally at weddings and other formal events such as annual horse races to grenadines which men wear at more modern events.... Read more...
Sam Hober April 2024 Newsletter - Designs
Ramy recently asked why we pick certain designs for our ties. Part of what we select for new designs is what we like and part are classic designs. Our classic designs are influenced very heavily by British traditional patterns - for example regimental stripes using a repp weave. Or geometric patterns from the Macclesfield area of England. Twill silks make a wonderful printed silk. Grenadines and beautiful satins are from the north of Italy. At first we worked with smooth formal British satins but over time I have fallen in... Read more...
Sam Hober March 2024 Newsletter - Interlinings
For ties a good wool interlining is very important - there used to be a number of luxury wool interlining tie weavers in Italy but the number is dropping to only a couple now. Cheap wool interlinings are still available both from China and Italy - but they are just that cheap - they don't drape well at all. England and America had some weavers but mostly polyester or a mix. Today we use the best Italian pure wool interlinings in the world, made by Tata Stoppani in a small... Read more...
Sam Hober February 2024 Newsletter - Grenadines
Grenadines are an elegant way to use a classic solid color (and occasional patterns and dots) and look elegant - the texture is what attracts our attention; that and the fact that James Bond 007 often wears grenadines. The weave is a loose one so we need to be careful not to get a snag or pull. If you do get a snag please do not cut the loose thread instead push it into the fabric with a needle. The repair is easy to do but requires patience. Here is... Read more...
Sam Hober January 2024 Newsletter - Our Roadmap for 2024
In an earlier newsletter we mentioned that we have been working on adding more Modern Madder silks to our collection. Our Modern Madders which are printed in Macclesfield, England by Adamley combine the best of classic designs and modern printing and silk finishing. The detail on the Modern Madders is amazing. This year we should have 100+ new Modern Madder designs in addition to reweaving many of the grenadines and other classics in our collection. Our grenadines are woven by Bianchi and Fermo Fossati in the north of Italy. Late... Read more...
Sam Hober December 2023 Newsletter a Concise Bespoke Tie Guide
This concise guide to bespoke ties will work well if you have an idea of what you want your ties to look like. There is no substitute for asking questions of your tie maker before ordering and looking at swatches if you need a certain color or texture. Bespoke ties are custom made with the length, width, shape and construction that you prefer. As well as other details such as monograms, rolled edges and flat edges (instead of a triangle). What in the UK is called bespoke is the same... Read more...
Sam Hober November 2023 Newsletter - Elegant Tie Construction
What makes a great tie is a question that I am often asked. A beautiful tie will be made from luxury fabric and be sewn slowly and carefully. A small custom made/bespoke tie maker will create ties that fit perfectly and the ties will be made even slower than normal... The care put into making the tie is much more important than the type of construction. So a 3-fold tie can be of a higher quality than a 7-fold tie. A lined 3-fold tie is the classic tie construction and... Read more...
Sam Hober October 2023 Newsletter - Our workshop
Sam Hober October 2023 Newsletter - Our workshop
Our staff have been with us around ten years on average. They start with expert embroidery sewing skills that they learned growing up and then we train them how to... Read more...
Sam Hober September 2023 Newsletter - Ancient Madder is a sartorial myth...
Ancient madder ties are a classic look, but commercial silk currently does not use real madder, which is made from the root of the rubia tintoruim plant. This is the same root that was used by the British to dye their Redcoat's uniforms, and dating back to 1324 B.C. cloth dyed with madder has been found in Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb - note I'm not sure if the Egyptians used the fabric to make ties... Alizarin is the main coloring agent of madder and produces a wide range of beautiful reds... Read more...
Sam Hober August 2023 Newsletter
It has been a long time since we sent out a newsletter, so I thought I would sit down and write a few words, and send you this link: New and rewoven Silks for August As time allows we will send out more newsletters... Adamley a traditional silk printer from Macclesfield, England, that we have used for many years is working with us to print many designs from their archives which date back around 300 years and include the classic David Evans designs. After 20 years of printing silks with... Read more...