Vegan Ties: Silk-Free Neckties For The Compassionate Gentleman

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From the 17th century Croatian cravat to the 20th century kipper, the necktie has remained a staple of the sophisticated man’s wardrobe.

Although ties have been made of many different materials throughout the ages, silk has tended to be the fabric of choice. Considering that around 120 silkworms need to be killed in order to make a single tie, vegans will want to steer clear of this blood tinted material. ⁽¹⁾

Thankfully, the low price and ease of manufacturing of modern synthetic fabrics like polyester mean there are a lot of vegan ties out there for the animal lovers among us.

In this article, we’re going to teach you a bit about neckties, give you some tips to keep in mind when looking for silk-free ties, and roundup and review a few of the best vegan neckties that we’ve found.

So put on your best Sunday clothes – we’re about to get classy.

How are silk ties made?

Silk is one of those animal products that vegans tend to forget about. This may be because there’s a common misconception that silkworms produce it naturally and we merely collect it without harming the worms in any way. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Silk is produced by silkworms once they reach a certain age in order to make their cocoons.

After silkworms have feasted on mulberry leaves for a period of time, they enter the pupa phase in their lifecycle and begin to excrete silk. They spin this silk thread into cocoons, which they would normally enter and stay in for a while before emerging as moths.

However, because the worms would need to break the continuity of the silk thread when they come out, silk producers choose to kill the worms by boiling them alive inside their cocoons.

This serves the dual purpose of both killing them to prevent the moths from severing the thread, and making the cocoon easier to unravel. The unraveled thread of the cocoon is what we know as silk. ⁽²⁾

In order to make a single tie, silk manufacturers need to kill around 120 silkworms. That’s a lot of death for a necktie!

Non-silk vegan ties

Luckily, there are a lot of non-silk tie options nowadays that spare the lives of silkworms. The majority of these ties are made from polyester microfiber. Polyester is a synthetic plastic, so these ties have a number of advantages and disadvantages.

On the one hand, polyester ties spare silkworms from harm – win on that front! They also tend to be very durable, stain resistant, and cheaper than their silk counterparts.

However, there is a bit of a dark side to polyester: due to the fact that polyester is a synthetic material, it is not easily biodegradable and rather harsh on the environment once it’s served its purpose and is relegated to the trash.

That said, if you plan to hold onto your tie for a while, the environmental damage should be pretty minimal.

What should I look for in a tie?

The majority of your decision will come down to these three things:

Tie accessories

There are few different accessories for ties that are sometimes bundled together with each necktie and sometimes sold separately. Examples of accoutrements that are commonly part of a set are cufflinks and pocket squares. Both of these can help build a more unified and sleek look.

Aside from other wearables, some may find it useful to organize their ties with a tie case, such as this case by CASE ELEGANCE. This travel case features a stylish vegan leather exterior and can house up to six different ties.

It’s a very useful accessory to have if you gather up a collection of neckties and find yourself frequently on the road. Accoutrements like this also have the added benefits of keeping your ties nice and safe both at home and while traveling.

What are the best vegan ties?

We’ve rounded up six of the best silk-free and microfiber ties on the market. Read on to see our picks!

Epoint Men’s Multicolor Microfiber Stripe Extra Long Tie

Epoint’s striped tie is a cruelty-free alternative to the traditionally silk accessory. The classic design exudes class and elegance, making it an excellent accent piece for many different occasions and outfits.

As far as the material goes, the absence of silk didn’t detract at all from the tie’s appearance. The microfiber did a very good job of replicating the look and feel of silk. We had no complaints in that regard.

Two things we did note, however, were that the tie is slightly thicker than we expected and slightly shorter, too. Regardless, these were very minor inconveniences and didn’t take much away from the tie as a whole.

Solid Color Ties by K. Alexander

If you’re in the market for a solid-color tie, K. Alexander has got you covered. The brand offers a wide selection of colors ranging from pink pastels to bold neon greens, so it’s easy to find something to match whatever look you’re going for.

Each tie is made of polyester, manufactured in China, and includes a satin finish to give it a more refined look – not too shiny and not too dull.

Quality wise, these are passable. Unfortunately, the actual color of the tie is often a fair bit different from the way it’s represented in the pictures, so tread carefully and be prepared to make a return if necessary.

The Dapper Tie Men’s Paisley Wedding Necktie

The Dapper Tie’s line of paisley ties is a great choice if you’re looking for something a bit more intricate and exotic.

These ties are made of poly-woven microfiber and faithfully replicate the appearance and texture of silk. There’s a plentiful assortment of colors, so there’s no shortage of choice when it comes to style.

These are pretty middle-of-the-road ties: their quality isn’t mind-blowing, but it’s not too shabby either. They’re nothing to write home about, but they look pretty good and spare a few silk worms while they’re at it.

Bows-N-Ties Men’s Shiny Textured Microfiber Necktie

If shiny is your thing, Bows-N-Ties’ line of neckties provide a good assortment of cruelty-free microfiber accessories that are suitable for a range of different occasions.

These ties are made of stain and wrinkle resistant microfiber and coated with a satin finish to give them an attractive sheen.

Bows-N-Ties makes a high-quality product – the only complaint we had was that these are individually packaged in plastic wrap, which is not very environmentally friendly. Otherwise, no qualms on our part.

The tie is slightly skinnier than average at 3.1 inches, but we didn’t find that to be an issue.

Alizeal Handmade Paisley Floral Tie with Pocket Square Gift Set

The inclusion of a pocket square with this polyester tie raises the classiness of this set to a new level.

The paisley design is quite good-looking and there’s 21 different colors to choose from, so you don’t need to be concerned about a lack of options here.

Each tie and pocket square comes packaged in a gift box, so if you’re in the market for a present you should definitely give this set a look.

The actual color of the ties, with the possible exception of the green option, are very accurately depicted in the photos. Overall, this is a very good vegan tie.

Retreez Microfiber Neckties

Retreez has an enormous amount of ties suitable for vegans on offer. From spots to stripes to paisley to plaid, or even if you’ve got a hard-to-find style in your mind’s eye, this brand likely has you covered.

The sheer number of options and the fact that almost all of their many designs come in multiple colors really puts this brand ahead of the pack.

Good-quality and good-looking, these attractive accessories demand and command your attention.

Check out their full range here.

Our pick for best vegan tie

We’ve really got to hand it to Retreez for making a fantastic, cruelty-free necktie. Out of all the ties we’ve looked at, this brand’s products felt the most complete: the inclusion of the cufflinks and pocket squares really sealed the deal for us.

Their huge selection is another major plus – almost everyone will find something that tickles their fancy.

What’s more: each purchase comes neatly packaged in a cool little gift box, which can also be a great storage place for your set of tie, cufflinks, and pocket square. All this makes for a great product that is worthy of checking out if you’re in the market for a vegan tie.

Whichever ties pique your interest, you may want to consider purchasing a holding or travel case to keep them safe, especially if you travel often for business. These can be very useful for the globetrotters among us.

We’re glad we live in a time where we don’t have to sacrifice ethics for fashion. Now that you’ve read through this guide, you’re well armed to go out and find yourself a cruelty-free cravat. Keep it classy – and silk-free!

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1. Jeffrey Hunter | Where Do Silk Ties Come From? | http://nicetiestore.blogspot.com/2011/02/where-do-silk-ties-come-from.html
2. PETA UK | The Silk Industry | https://www.peta.org.uk/issues/animals-not-wear/silk/