I love people-watching on visits to foreign shores, whether it is the morning rush hour commute on the subway, or the hordes of people who stop to grab a sandwich at lunch hour—just regular people going about their business without bothering with some tourists gaping at them. But gape I do, and I see everything from high heels to sneakers, from fitted skirts to pant suits, from suits to jackets to hoodies. But what I don’t see enough of anymore are ties.
It’s the same story in corporate India. The tie, that essential bit of clothing for corporate dressing that could take a backseat only on Fridays, when it was considered fine to be casually dressed, is no longer considered a must.
“I have around 50 ties. Some exceptional ones are from brands like Versace and Paul Smith and others are unique and quirky. They all have two things in common—they are beautiful and useless,” says Delhi-based banker Aman Khanna. He has been working in the banking industry for over two decades and laments the time when dressing up for work definitely meant adorning one of his precious ties. “Banking has been a conservative industry as far as dressing is concerned, but even that is now changing, with the tie no longer considered compulsory.”
There was a time when the tie was a de facto part of everyday dressing. But it has been losing ground for years, between the advent of casual Fridays, the work-from-home (WFH) days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the blurring of lines between our personal and professional lives. The likes of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, with their turtlenecks/sweatshirt and jeans, have a role to play in that. Take a look at global movers and shakers from the past couple of decades, and you will find that fewer and fewer have gone fully formal. Virgin Group Founder and billionaire Richard Branson has eschewed ties for years, as have Jeff Bezos and even Bill Gates. Tie-free world leaders include US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with former UK PM Boris Johnson, and the Italian and Japanese prime ministers, who all abandoned silk ties for the official portrait at the G7 summit in Germany in 2022—marking the first time in 40 years this had happened. Barack Obama set the precedent as President, when he preferred the tie-less-rolled-up-sleeves look at the White House, except for formal occasions.
In the corporate world, even before the WFH days of the pandemic, in 2019, Goldman Sachs, historically known as a white-shoe investment bank, with its bankers in bespoke suits and ties, issued an internal memo relaxing the dress code for all its employees. How significant this move was became evident from the fact that it was carried as news by leading international publications, as it was once considered unimaginable for the Wall Street firm. It was done to bring the bank’s traditional policies up to date for its younger workforce—nearly 75% of Goldman employees are Gen Z, or Millennials.
Today, it is comfort that wins over stiff corporate attire, and that’s true not only for the younger generation but also for those who have been working in the corporate sector for a long time. “I wear ties nowadays for events as statement clothing. The work environment today is more about performance and less about formality. It’s the mental ease,” says Sharad Gautam, a senior executive with a leading global alco-bev company. Agrees Aman Vohra, a management consultant-turned digital content creator: “In today’s dynamic work culture, where flexibility and personal expression are increasingly valued, the once rigid dress codes have been relaxed, allowing individuals to explore a wider range of styles.”
Of course, the tie will always be a part of a man’s wardrobe. But has it been reduced to a special events-only garment? A relic of tradition and redolent with historical meaning but not relevancy? Even Ermenegildo Zegna, Chief Executive of Zegna, has given up on ties. “Let me be clear: the suit is not dead,” Zegna said at a luxury conference in May 2022. “But the tie is!”
“Although ties still hold significance in certain professional settings and events, I feel that more or less, their usage seems to be very limited. They will definitely remain a symbol of elegance and sophistication in menswear, but customers have started leaning towards ties as formal or else occasion wear, though to me it signifies old world elegance and unmatched style,” says designer Varun Bahl. In India, the rise of Indian wear at formal occasions is also impacting the wearing of ties. “Over the years, I have realised that a smart bandhgala is far more comfortable and chic,” says 47-year-old PR professional Sayantan Sinha. Agrees digital content creator, Riaan George: “We are not wearing ties even on formal occasions as in India a lot of us have adopted the bandi (Nehru) jacket instead of the blazer. Even Air India and Vistara have ditched the ties for their male attendants, replacing them with bandi jackets.”
While looking around us, we may feel that the tie is losing its significance in men’s fashion, it hasn’t impacted sales. As per research firm Verified Market Reports, the size of the global ties market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% to $261.78 million by 2030 from $153.5 million in 2023.
At the end of the day, you choose to tie or not to tie!
@smitabw