Whether to build a home or stir a gumbo, wood has been used for thousands of years for various purposes, but one New Orleans designer offers a product where wood is an unexpected material.
Robert LeQuire, originally from New Haven, Connecticut, designed a bow tie crafted from antique wood pulled from the streets of New Orleans and generated enough profits from their inception to become a sustainable designer.
LeQuire’s brand, South Haven Wood, offers a variety of designs for virtually any body shape, and each tie is inherently distinct. Because wood is not a uniform material, each bow tie looks different based on the type of wood and
cut used.
The wood is salvaged from old houses throughout the city and refurbished into the final product. Additionally, the small, and only, piece of fabric found on the tie in the middle part of the bow is cut from thrifted, antique neckties LeQuire finds.
Though South Haven Wood is a fashion-based brand, LeQuire said he had no fashion experience prior to creating his wooden ties.
LeQuire said he’s been a woodworker for essentially his entire life as a third-generation crafter, his father was a woodworker and his grandfather was a master sculptor.
“Ever since I could swing a hammer, I’ve been working with wood and building things,” LeQuire said.
In his early 20s, he started working in furniture construction until one day, he decided to enter the sustainable building industry, working in ecosystem-friendly building design and consulting.
The inspiration for his current livelihood came from the simple frustration of being unable to tie an adequate bow tie. It was then that LeQuire decided to combine his experience in woodworking with fashion and ultimately create a business that would become his life.
The name South Haven Wood is a play-on-words of his hometown, New Haven. Because there is a New Haven, North Haven, East Haven and West Haven, but no South Haven in Connecticut, LeQuire said he decided to create his own “South Haven” in New Orleans.
After growing up mostly in Connecticut, LeQuire jumped around to different places, including Boston, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Las Vegas and eventually, the Crescent City.
“My real home is in my heart, which is in New Orleans,” LeQuire said.
LeQuire said the first bow tie was actually made as a joke to wear to a party, but it was an instant hit among the people around him, and everyone wanted to know where they could get one.
Because he didn’t have much experience in fashion, he pulled from his own general shopping experience and habits that would later aid in his design.
“I’m a thrift store shopper,” LeQuire said. “I love sorting through racks and finding those little gems that people are discarding.”
He started researching the history of bow ties throughout the decades of the 20th century, and he originally gravitated to the five-point bow tie design of the 1910s and 1920s. However, LeQuire said he recognized the larger, butterfly trend appearing in today’s fashion industry and adapted his
design accordingly.
LeQuire said he looked at images taken during the early Oscars and compared what bow ties looked like from then to now and mimicked their basic styles.
“With the limitations of the wood, it’s more of an abstract representation of those styles,” LeQuire said.
Because he is using salvaged wood, the prices of the ties stay relatively low, in the $30 to $40 range, he said. This also allows LeQuire to pay himself for the time he spends searching the city for great pieces of wood that will
represent his brand.
“I’m going around these neighborhoods, finding old houses, abandoned buildings or scrap wood from the side of the road,” LeQuire said. “Usually, the pieces are in pretty bad shape with mud or dirt on them, but when I start working with them, the real meat starts to come through and the beauty of the grain patterns appear.”
The best part is that each bow tie is a little piece of New Orleans someone can take with them or wear around, he said.
The local community has significantly helped his business to advance, LeQuire said, specifically Chip Martinson at the fine furniture makers Monkey wid-a Fez. Martinson allowed and encouraged LeQuire to use his wood shop to create his ties and his brand.
South Haven Wood bow ties are available through LeQuire’s Etsy account, which can be accessed through a link at SouthHavenWood.com. Additionally, he has a booth at the Frenchmen Art Market in New Orleans, where customers can receive a more personalized shopping experience.
You can reach Michael Tarver on Twitter @michael_T16.
New Orleans designer creates bow ties from salvaged wood
By Michael Tarver
March 2, 2015
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