It’s come to my attention that embellished and upcycled ties are having a moment – and I am completely into it. There is something particularly appealing about taking an old, slightly boring or forgotten item and turning it into something much more fun. Ties are actually a brilliant starting point because they already have a strong shape, lots of surface area and, depending on what you find, some fantastic colours and patterns.
The examples in these pictures are exactly the sort of thing that caught my eye. Some are covered in embroidery, some have little appliqué details, others are decorated with beads, charms, patches or quirky motifs. They look less like traditional menswear accessories and more like little pieces of wearable art.
The trick, I think, is having some sort of theme or design direction. You could go floral, food-related, animals, sports, insects, fruit, nautical, vintage, psychedelic – basically anything. Having a theme helps the finished tie look intentional rather than like you have simply attacked it with the contents of your craft box. Although, to be fair, there is also something quite appealing about doing exactly that.
This is where the DIY fashion trend comes in. Fashion is increasingly moving away from the idea that everything needs to be bought exactly as it comes off the rail. People are customising trainers, embroidering jeans, adding charms to bags, decorating jackets, making jewellery and turning old clothes into completely different things. A plain garment becomes the starting point rather than the finished product.
And I think there is a bigger reason for this happening. We have spent years being encouraged to buy more, buy cheaply and replace things quickly. DIY fashion turns that idea on its head. Instead of asking "What should I buy?", you start asking "What could I make from what I've already got?" It makes clothes more personal, and it can also make you appreciate the things you already own a bit more.
The return of craft
The renewed interest in DIY fashion is part of a much bigger resurgence of craft. Sewing, embroidery, crochet, knitting, visible mending, beading and other traditional skills are all being rediscovered, particularly by younger people who may not have grown up learning them.
There is something wonderfully satisfying about making something with your hands. You don't need to be particularly good at it either. In fact, the slightly wonky bits are often what make handmade things interesting. Unlike mass-produced fashion, there is evidence that a real person has spent time making it.
Social media has obviously played a huge part in this. Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and online marketplaces have made it incredibly easy to discover ideas and tutorials, while platforms such as Vinted and eBay mean that there is a huge supply of old clothes and accessories waiting to be given a second life.
And that brings me back to ties.
So why aren't people wearing ties any more?
The tie is a slightly strange fashion object when you think about it. For decades it was practically compulsory for men in certain situations – offices, weddings, business meetings, restaurants and formal events. It was a symbol of being smart, professional and respectable.
Then, quite suddenly, it became much less important.
Part of the reason is the enormous shift towards casual dressing. Office dress codes have relaxed, workplaces have become more informal and working from home has made the idea of dressing formally for your computer screen seem slightly ridiculous. The suit and tie stopped being an everyday uniform and became something you put on when you specifically need to look formal.
There is also a generational shift. Younger people don't necessarily see the tie as a symbol of professionalism. It can feel more like a symbol of corporate culture, conformity and an older way of working. Why wear one every day when you don't have to?
But the funny thing is that the tie may be coming back precisely because we stopped having to wear it.
Once an item stops being compulsory, it can become interesting again. The tie is no longer necessarily something that says "I work in an office". It can say something about your personality instead. You can wear it loosely, over a T-shirt, with vintage clothing, as a belt or even incorporate it into an entirely different outfit. Fashion designers have been experimenting with the tie again during the 2026 collections, while the accessory has also been appearing in street style and pop culture.
The current tie revival is therefore less about going back to the old-fashioned business suit and more about reclaiming the tie as a fashion accessory. British Vogue has highlighted embellished ties, brooches and decorative styling as part of the current revival, while the recent Harry Styles tour has turned ties into something fans customise and use as part of their own outfits.
And this is where the embellished tie gets particularly interesting.
Rather than buying a brand-new designer tie, why not find an old one and make it your own?
My own tie experiment
So, having become slightly obsessed with the idea, I decided I wanted to try the trend myself. I bought a selection of second-hand ties from Vinted and started thinking about what I could do with them.
This is the fun part. You don't need an expensive vintage tie or specialist materials. In fact, I think the more random the starting point, the better. A charity shop tie, something inherited from a grandad, an unwanted office tie or a slightly hideous 1990s silk tie could all become something much more interesting with a bit of imagination.
DIY fashion doesn't have to begin with a perfect plan. You can experiment, make mistakes, unpick things and try again.
I particularly like the idea of making a whole collection of ties around different themes. Imagine a food tie covered in tiny embroidered chips, cakes and cherries. Or a cycling tie with bicycles, wheels and little road signs. Or something completely ridiculous involving flowers, insects and sequins.
The possibilities are pretty much endless.
And perhaps that is why I think this trend is more interesting than simply saying "ties are back". The exciting thing isn't really the return of the traditional tie. It's the fact that people are taking something that used to represent conformity and turning it into something individual.
A tie doesn't have to mean business anymore. It can mean you.
So if you have an old tie sitting in the back of a wardrobe, don't throw it away just yet. Get out the needle and thread, dig through your craft box, find some old patches or beads and see what happens. You might accidentally make your next favourite accessory.
Having a design direction or theme definitely helps in tying (get it) the design together making it cohesive and ultimately cute. i want to try out this trend myself so i bought some second hand ties from vinted to try out some of my own designs.
If you have any old ties, get creative and try your own hand at decorating it, what a great gift idea it would be !
