In the last year we’ve seen neckwear lose its corporate banker stigma and be adopted by everyone from indie-rockers to prep-rebels. Not to forget the astounding momentum of bow ties, from Chuck Bass to NFL players on bow tie crusades. Even with all this excitement behind neckwear very few companies are doing much more than the same silk stripes your dad wore. Midwestern based neckwear crafters Pierrepont Hicks answered tie aficionados’ call by creating a line of neck wear like you’ve never seen before, and is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

Pierrepont owners/designers/husband and wife Mac and Kat McMillan created reversible bow ties and ties from hand chosen imported Scottish wool. All are woven together by an expert hand in New York’s historic garment district. And I haven’t even mentioned the spring cotton line! Kat “cut her teeth,” as she puts it, working in runway production for Ralph Lauren’s Black Label, and Mac comes from a successful real estate background, bringing their talents and passion together to make one of the most innovative accessory lines I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness. Pierrepont Hicks seem to know how much to push your comfort level by introducing you to patterns and materials that you might have never thought about wearing before, but is what every edgy sophisticated dresser has been looking for.

When you buy a tie from Pierrepont Hicks, you not only receive a highly crafted neck accessory, but it also comes with a thank you note, and care in packaging that makes you feel like you’re opening a birthday gift from an old friend. It was details like this that led me to seek out the creators of this soon to be classic American company.

Originally, when I set out to talk to Kat and Mac I thought I would write a feature about them and include a fair share of quotes. But then as I talked to the two of them and Kat’s frequent passion for fashion and Mac’s intuitive vision for business were revealed, it became clear to me that I needed to publish the entire transcript. We talked about what it means to wear a bow tie today, getting laid off on their daughter’s due date and what to expect from their Spring 2010 line.

Boy Kings: When did you realize that the two of you wanted to make a neckwear company together?

Kat McMillan: I worked in production for Ralph Lauren’s Black Label and collection line, the women’s collections you see on the runway. I’ve worked at Elle magazine and a couple of Internet startups during the Internet boom in fashion and always had a creative side to me. I’ve always loved menswear and we just started playing around with fabrics. Pierrepont Hicks was sort of my baby to begin with, and seeing as it was men’s ties, Mac would chime in what he thinks, and then it just sort of took off.

When we were in Scotland, we designed his kilt for our wedding. We didn’t actually design the kilt, but we picked out the MacMillan tartan. There are four kinds of Scottish tartans and they’re normally filled with blues and greens, because those would help camouflage you in the forest. We went all around Scotland looking at fabrics and found beautiful blankets and amazing sheepskins. Mac likes to dress well, he’s very fashion-forward, so he was interested in it too, right away.

Mac McMillan: We didn’t start really get this going until last fall.

Kat: We started designing last summer and getting serious about it in September. (2009)

BK: It seems like after that one write-up in Valet everything sort of snowballed.

Kat: It really did. Valet contacted us and said, “We’re really digging your ties” and all of a sudden our Google Analytics jumped like 1000 hits, and we were scared! Like, “Holy cow, do we have enough time?”

BK: You guys have a great classic American vibe in everything from your blog to your ties. How would you describe you branding?

Kat: In the website you’ll see a little link called “Book.” There’re pictures in that of all the men in our lives, Mac’s brother, his dad, my uncle, my dad, godfathers, whatever. I’ve grown up hiking, fly-fishing and camping on the side, and for me, there’s a certain man who has a level of class—and I don’t want come as snobby, I don’t want you to rephrase this incorrectly—but there’s a level of class in someone. It’s someone who can go camping and build a fire and catch salmon, but at the same time dress it up, take it to Lincoln Center and go see an opera. It’s like what Mac has done, he’s worked in Alaska for years. There’s a spectrum he should encompass.

Mac: We don’t have a certain target market we’re going after. It’s whoever likes it—it ranges from the preppy to the hipster. Straight, gay, black, white, young, old—it’s been everybody.

We were in a store here in Minneapolis having a little trunk show, and I was there for three or four hours. People of all types were into our ties—one guy was a sixty-five year old lawyer and the next minute it was a twenty-five year old professional who liked it. My point is, we didn’t think about marketing it to this group or that group. We just make ties.

Kat: It’s the “thinking man’s tie,” I like to say. I think that the people who have purchased our ties so far are really smart people. I mean, I know that sounds kind of silly…

Mac: …It’s young people too.

BK: Why do you think bow ties, in particular, are coming back into popular fashion?

Kat: I think the bow tie pops on certain people, and bow tie people are forever a bow tie person. It’s their “thing.” I don’t think that bow ties have ever gone out of fashion, sure, it’s back in the spotlight a little bit, but I think bow ties have always been around for a certain person. They’re beautiful! The way you can tie a bow tie nice and tightly, which is what I like, or you can wear it loose and floppy and it’s more flamboyant. I think it’s more fun for men.

Menswear is fascinating to me because it’s so simple and yet so complex. You have so many fun things you can do and the bow tie is the perfect example of that. That one piece can change your entire outfit based on the certain way you wear it. Except Brad on Rachel Zoe, he definitely helped bring it back.

BK: You’re right; there are those people who just wear bow ties every day of their life. Take the 1950’s architects for example.

Kat: That’s interesting you said that, we’re working on something right now that’s top secret that has to do with architects and bow ties. I remember reading a quote by Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, and he said that he wears bow ties when he’s hung-over as it takes the attention away from his face [laughs]. So, that says something about the people that wear bow ties; they’re fun and smart and exocentric and clever and interesting. I mean, when I see someone in a bow tie I’m immediately drawn to them.

BK: Do you want to focus solely on neckwear or are there other pieces that you’d like to expand into?

Mac: We’re so new we’re going to stick to neckwear for now. Maybe, we’d branch out to ascots and pocket squares…maybe. That’s all down the line. Right now we’re just riding the wave and having fun.

Kat: I love ties so much, and so does Mac. And the two-tone is so much fun to experiment with. We’re doing one that’s in-between winter and spring and we’re getting the samples next week. We actually used blue and white checks cotton shirting fabric for the tailpiece. I love it because if you wear it with a blue and white shirt it clashes, but it goes together. I love all things that clash, I think they look really good.

BK: Tell me more about your spring line. What’s inspiring you for it and what can we look forward to?

Kat: Bright colors, very bright colors. We’re not afraid of pink and we think men should wear pink, don’t you? It’s like the Nantucket reds…the I-don’t-give-a-fuck reds. I don’t want to give away too much, but very bright colors and a lot of cotton.

Mac: I don’t think there’s any silk.

Kat: There might be one, but that’s in between. It’s different but we hope people like it. Oh, and some plaids.

BK: Is there anything about Pierrepont Hicks that people don’t know that you wish they did?

Kat: I know Mac will agree...Our pricing.

Mac: We’re under that $100+ price. We decided before we started we did not want to be in that range. But not that we’re cheap, $75-80 is a lot of money.

Kat: We’re still a luxury brand, but we want it to be affordable. It’s hard to make sure you’re branded that way, because a lot of people just go on price. And price does not mean something is wonderfully made and is going to last you a long time. We check all of our ties by hand and we’re very hands on with this process. That’s important.

To purchase Pierrepont Hicks ties and bow ties visit PierrepontHicks.com or check out their tumblr to know more about the Pierrepont Hicks "Man Defined."