What’s the origin of the TIE?

While collars were worn in Europe during the Renaissance and ruffs and collars in the early 17th Century, it wasn’t until the mid 17th Century that the necktie’s ancestors appeared.

During the Thirty Years War, which raged Europe from 1618 to 1648, Croatian mercenaries employed by the King of France wore knotted kerchiefs slung casually around their necks, with the ends hanging loose.

Fashion-minded French officers adopted the kerchief not only for its style but also for its utility. It didn’t require the elaborate bleaching, ironing and starching that their ruff collars needed.

The style was brought back to the court of King Louis XIV and by 1650, the French nobility had adopted it. The fashion soon spread throughout Europe and around the world.