hack and hue: keeping it classic, simple and crisp

You may remember in last week's interview, the Magnificent Bastard favored Hack and Hue ties. Brent Kochuba, the designer behind Hack and Hue, contacted me and I took a look at his designs. Something about the conservative and traditional mixed with a hip luxury tie feels to me very romantic, a little sexy. Brent dropped by tys today to talk about his neckties--enjoy!

mj: What made you decide to start Hack and Hue and why neckties?

brent: I have a day job which requires me to wear a tie every day and I came to realize that basically every tie that every person wore was the same thing--silk with different prints (stripes, sailboats, puppies, etc). I couldn't really find anything that was original and unique so I figured I'd just make it. I also think ties are coming back into people's casual wardrobe. Styles are cyclical and for the last 4 or 5 years guys have been dressing way down usually in t-shirts and flip-flops. You see people in New York starting to wear ties again when they go out and I think the "dressed up" trend is only going to get bigger.

mj: When did you start your company and what stores do you sell to?

brent: My first samples came out about a year ago and I mainly gave them out to friends to wear test and see what fabrics worked. You can get them on the web (HackandHue.com) and we just started speaking with some local boutiques.



My personal favorite: Hack and Hue black plaid neck tie


mj: Who is the Hack and Hue client?

brent: I want to keep each style in very limited quantities because I want people to wear something that they know is unique, but I want people to identify with the brand. Its for the guy who appreciates style and differentiation but doesn't want the "What the hell is that?" question from his boss/girlfriend/buddies.

mj: How would you describe your own style?

brent: I try to keep it classic, simple and crisp. I'm very conscious about fit and proportions--It doesn't matter what it is or where you got it from, if it's ill fitting it just wont look good.

Thanks Brent for stopping by!