tomaketies.Simpleones,atfirst.TieswithnearbyMartha’s
Vineyard street signs. Tieswith the outline of the island.
Madeout of silk, not polyester. For businessmenwho like
them, longedforsummeryear-round.Neitherofthemknew
anythingaboutsewing,ortiesordesigneven.Buttheypulled
outtheManhattanphonebookandbeganmakingcalls.With
an$8,000cashadvanceon theircreditcards, theycommis-
sioned800 ties tobemade locally, and then theydelivered
themtoboutiques inMartha’sVineyard.RemembersShep,
“Wesaid, ‘Pleasetakethem,and ifyousellthem,payus,and
ifnot,we’ll take themback.’”
The tiessoldoutwithinaweek.
Theyexpandedthedesignsto includewhimsical images
of martinis and cigars, beach umbrellas and ice cream
cones,andthebusinessgrew.Afterthreeyears, theyadded
totebags forwomen–madeoutofsturdycanvasandwith
stripsof thesilk tie fabricalong the topandcheerfulging-
hamcheck interiors.Boxers,beltsand flip-flops followed.
Tenyearsago, theyexpandedthebrandto includeclothing
formen, women and children – khakis, cashmere, tees,
swimsuitsandcover-ups;all itemsthatcouldgo fromwork
or school to thecountryclub.
“I thinkoneof the reasonswe’re successful is because
wereallydon’thave thisgrandfinish line,”saysIan. “We’re
alwaystryingtomakethebrandbetterintermsoftheproduct
andwhether the teamenjoyscoming towork.”
Fun,afterall, iswhatthecompanyethosisallabout.Just
lookatthehangtag–“Weinviteyoutotakeyourrelaxedstate
ofmindwithyouwhenevera tie isnecessary”–areminder
that life’s tooshort tobedoingsomethingyoudon’t love.
This is something thebrothers agreeon.Not that they
arguemuch (Iasked).
Shep: “Wehaven’t fought inawhile,havewe?”
Ian: “Wecan ifyouwantus to.”
Theysaytheydon’toftendisagree,butwhentheydo, it’s
about insignificantthings.“Like, ‘I’llbetyouthistiepattern
isgoingtobebetterthanyourtiepattern,’”saysShep. “One
thingwe’venever foughtabout ismoney.”
SaysIan,“Ithelpstoknoweachotherwellandknoweach
other’spersonalityandknowwhentopushandwhentogive.”
The brothers don’t have designated roles within the
company.Theyconsiderthemselvesequalpartners. “We’re
comfortablewitheachother’sposition,”saysShep.“Thedays
thatarethemostchallengingarewhenwebothwanttodrive
theboatandwehavedifferingopinions.”
Withasharedoverallvision,thebrothersagreethatthey
balanceeachother.“Shephasagoodideaofwherethebrand
shouldbe long-termandhow tomake it inspiredby iconic
institutionsof thepast,”saysIan.
Shep agrees. “Ian’s very in themoment or sixmonths
fromnow.”
Together, they’vebuiltabrandthat’sasmuchabout life-
styleas it is the clothes themselves. “We’vecreateda com-
munityof people that are fanatics about our brand,” says
Ian. “Youmay go toBrooksBrothers tobuy that first suit,
Lululemon tobuyyouryogapants andTiffany tobuyyour
engagementring,butyou’llcometoVineyardVinestoshop
for thewhole family.”
The Family Business
w
ITH
ASHARED
OVERALL
VISION,THE
BROTHERS
AGREE
THATTHEY
BALANCE
EACH
OTHER.
Sneakpeek into theVineyardVines spring line for 2015
CELEBRATED LIVING • SPRING 2015
48
