The most elegant and refined purple and pink

Based primarily in Thailand, Seaward & Stern offers scarves, shirts, jackets, and other items. Although a relatively young brand, founded in London in 2003, the brand's products, which fully utilize the previous careers of its founders, Gary Seaward and Mark Stern, have gained high acclaim worldwide, and it has now become one of London's leading brands.


Let's begin by outlining their careers here.

Garry began working at John Comfort, considered the oldest tie manufacturer in Britain, when he was 16 years old. He served as sales director until he went independent. Mark, who agreed to this interview, was born into a family that has been manufacturing high-end menswear for three generations and helped with the family business from his teens. He trained under Charles Hill, a renowned figure in London tie making, and served as the head of the tie department and director of design and marketing at TURNBULL＆ASSER . The two met at TURNBULL＆ASSER in 2000, and a few years later they founded Seaward & Stern.

"The defining characteristic of our brand is that we manufacture our products in the heart of London, meaning they are handmade," says Mark. Indeed, London is home to the City, one of the world's leading financial districts, and is strongly associated with tourism and shopping.


"We produce approximately 120,000 ties annually by hand in our own factory in London. The most important part of tie making is sewing the center of the reverse side by hand. We sew it with a single needle while checking the tension of the fabric with our eyes and hands." Ties sewn uniformly by machine tend to feel somewhat stiff when worn. On the other hand, hand-sewn ties have a comfortable fit around the neck and are easy to tie right from the start.

"Also, purple and pink are two important elements that represent the brand," Mark continues. These two colors are used on the back of the wide and narrow ends of the shirt. The stitching on the top and bottom buttonholes of the shirt also uses these two colors. "The meaning of these two colors is that purple evokes passion and is my favorite color. Pink is a color that represents Britain," he explains.


In Japan, pink is often associated with a cute image, and buyer Sato also commented, "There are certainly many shirt and tie brands on Jermyn Street that use pink." This might be inspired by the pale red and pink flowers of the English rose.

"We use linen, cotton, wool, cashmere, and blends of these fabrics depending on the season, but silk is definitely our main material. Suffolk, a county in eastern England, is one of the world's leading silk producing regions. Among them, Berners and Stephen Walters are known as the two major silk textile manufacturers. We often use silk from these two companies for our silk ties," says Mark.


The silk fabric produced in this region is densely woven, resulting in a strong, resilient texture. It uses 350 pounds of seven-thread yarn per square inch. For comparison, standard Italian silk fabric uses about two-thirds of that amount. What kind of effect does such a substantial fabric produce?

"This weight fabric gives the colors a luxurious feel. It's a silk that makes purple really stand out. The same goes for pink. In winter, we use a darker shade of pink, but we can't get the color to look good with any other fabric." The brand uses purple and pink for the outer fabric of their Thai garments every season, changing the shades of the two colors depending on the season. That's why they are so particular about the color rendering.


"We Brits tend to wear traditional gray or navy suits, which are rather subdued. That's why I want to express my personality through my ties." Seaward & Stern ties, while using vibrant colors like purple and pink, don't give off an impression of being gaudy or in bad taste. The reason for this is not only the elegant color development due to the tightly woven material mentioned earlier, but also the fact that they combine vibrant colors with chic colors like gray, brown, and navy. Furthermore, the large stripes have a boldness not seen in Italian or French ties.

"Classic x Bright is our signature style. We also want people to appreciate the uniqueness not only in the colors but also in the geometric patterns," says Mark. The brand's ties feature large patterns and bold color combinations, making them perfect for expressing individuality in a refined way around the neck.


"Finally, I'd like you to take a look at our scarves. These products are made in Scotland. The materials are soft wool and highly insulating angora. And, just like our ties, we've incorporated bold color schemes and geometric patterns into our scarves as well."

The color scheme is switched between two or four sides, combining the signature purple and pink with chic gray, brown, and navy. Its versatility is also appealing; increasing the exposure of the chic colors makes it suitable for business, while increasing the exposure of the vibrant colors makes it suitable for casual occasions. It has become a globally explosive hit product. Coordinating it with a geometric pattern tie and scarf is also a fun idea. It's a combination that is sure to be appreciated as a gift.

Text: Ogiyama Takashi
Photo: Ozawa Tatsuya

Seaward & Stearn

Founded in 2002 in the UK by Mark Stern (pictured above), who was born into a family of necktie manufacturers and previously served as design director for TURNBULL＆ASSER , and Gary Seward, who has a long career in the necktie industry, Seaward & Stern is a relatively young brand. However, it is characterized by its incorporation of traditional techniques such as the seven-fold style, which dates back to the early 20th century. For printed fabrics, they use only the finest products from Adamlee, a company specializing in hand-printing in a region renowned for silk fabric production since the 1700s, demonstrating their unique commitment not only to design but also to materials.