June 19, 2014
Volume 36, Issue 33
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(L-R) Austin Allan, Wesley Hammond, Mark Johnson and Zach Spencer work diligently to piece together custom land stock ties in the office of Knotty Tie.
Photo by Philip Poston • pposton1@msudenver.edu
MetroSpective MSU grads are stitching their way to the top By Stephanie Alderton salderto@msudenver.edu MSU Denver graduate Jeremy Priest wants to change the world — one necktie at a time. On a typical day, Priest and his team – which consists of four other staff members and one intern – can be found in a little upper-floor room in the Santa Fe art district, hand-sewing ties to the sound of jazzy music or designing new patterns on their single Apple computer. When finished, the ties sport patterns ranging from traditional
two-colored stripes to dinosaur and shark designs. There’s even a line of ties covered in miniature Colorado flags. The organic cotton fabric is printed in North Carolina, but all the ties are assembled and designed right here in Denver. This is the headquarters of Knotty Tie Co., the business Priest founded a year and a half ago. Back then, it was just Priest and a few of his friends, none of whom knew anything about ties. “We started from scratch,” Priest said. “We watched YouTube videos, and then we deconstructed, you know, maybe a dozen
quality ties, and then we started sourcing the components.” Now, he estimates, the company sells about 100 ties, bowties and pocket squares a week. On Knotty Tie’s website, customers design their own neckwear, choosing from dozens of patterns, colors and styles, and then order them for an average of $45 each. Priest said the team is always coming up with new ideas for patterns, and sometimes they get outside help. Adam Sikorski, an artist who also operates in the Santa Fe district, partnered with Knotty Tie to make the Continued on page 9>>
Rants+Raves Jolie magnificent as “Maleficent” • 11
June 20 – August 2, 2014