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Lee Allison Information
THE COMPANY
In 1994, Lee Allison got the crazy idea that he wanted to create his own line of neckties. Armed with a bakers dozen of original designs, he found two silk mills, one in England, the other in Switzerland, both willing to take a chance on the young man with no experience but fresh ideas.
The Lee Allison Company was officially launched from a Chicago brownstone in the spring of 1995. From the beginning, Lee Allison neckties (or four-in-hands as he prefers to call them) were always a little bit different, whimsical but sophisticated, and of the highest quality. The difference was that Lee actually designed his own fabric rather than simply buy what the silk mills had for sale. Of the original 13 designs, 11 had themes, two did not. Later that year, the collection was bought by Barneys New York, and The Lee Allison Company was on its way.
The business has since moved to a 4,500 square foot loft/studio in the Bucktown area of Chicago, where it remains today.
Over time, the Companys offerings have grown to include bowties, cummerbund sets, formal vests, pocket squares, the occasional pillow, and suspenders (braces, for you Anglophiles). And in 2002, the Company added a line of fine cotton dress shirts, its first non-silk offering.
Lee Allison products are sold here at this website, through the Lee Allison catalogue, and in specialty stores throughout the United States, and to a very limited degree abroad. Feel free to check out the testimonials.
Lee Allison was born and raised in Connecticut. After attending Williams College in Massachusetts, he took a job at Merrill Lynch in New York as an investment banking analyst.
After three and a half years at Merrill (two years in New York, and one and a half in Los Angeles), Lee toyed with the idea of attending architecture school but instead went to Harvard Business School. Upon graduation from HBS, he moved to Chicago to work in account management at The Leo Burnett Company, the largest advertising agency in town.
After a couple of years on the account side (his first assignment was Velveeta, which if you dont know, melts better than cheddar), he put together a portfolio and made the rare switch over to the creative side as a copywriter. For the next few years he wrote TV, radio and print ads for the likes of McDonalds, Nintendo and 7-Up.
But the urge to create something of his own was simply too strong. So in 1995, with no experience, no connections, and frankly no clue, he launched The Lee Allison Company.
He hasnt slept since.
The Lee Allison Company occupies half a floor of an industrial brick building on the north side of Chicago (in Bucktown, if you know the neighborhood). This is where all of the designs are created. This is also the warehouse for all Lee Allison products. So when you order something from Lee Allison, its shipped from right the warehouse.
The building itself is 100 years old and was originally built as a tannery. The unit is a true loft4,500 square feet of open, relatively raw space. Its basically one big room, although it does have two bathrooms, a kitchen and a separate bedroom. It has brick walls and a 14-foot exposed beam ceiling, supported by solid nine-inch square timbers situated every 16 feet.
The highlight of the loft is the 125-foot-long southern wall which, with ten windows along its length, floods the loft with natural light and offers a postcard view of the muscular city of Chicago, two miles to the south-east.
Its the perfect place to have a tie company.
Lee Allison neckties are handmade from 100% silk. This silk is woven in Europe at some of the best silk mills in the world. Silk from a variety of countries has been used, but overall English mills are used more often than not. The silk fabric, shipped on 28 inch rolls, is then cut and sewn by hand here in the U.S. and made into neckties and other accessories.
Lee Allison ties are on the longer side of normal at 57-58 inches. The width is approximately 3 3/4 inches. As with all truly superior neckties, Lee Allison's are cut on a perfect bias (a 45 degree angle), slip-stitched by hand, and double bar-tacked. For the keeper (that loop on the back where you tuck in the tail), a long self-loop (made from the same fabric as the tie) is used and tacked down not only on both sides, but also stitched into the center seam for added strength and durability.
What really distinguishes Lee Allison neckties are their designstheyre true originals. The ideas are put on paper and then the mills weave the designs into silk fabric. People ask "Where is the fabric found?" Well, in general, the fabric isn't found, it's created.
Received three ties today. In a word...stunning. Not only are they truly beautiful, but they knot far better than my other ties. P. Catalano, Bradenton, FL
I just had to say that I love getting your emails and I LOVE your web-site, your writing, your design -- it's a freakin' class act, all the way down the line, dude, every element of it! J. Larson, New York, NY
These are just the best ties! D. Stefan, Chicago, IL
I told my wife that if she ever buys me a tie, it better be a Lee Allison or I won't wear it! S. Gross, Chicago, IL
I am a proud owner of two of your ties and one bowtie. The ties are great and the compliments just keep coming. Women seem to love your bowties. I had never realized just how beautiful embroidered ties are! Thanks to you, I now have a new hobby: collecting Lee Allison ties. E. Downs, Columbia, MO
