Throwback Interview: The Steave Smith Collection
I had the chance to meet with the founder and VP of the innovative accessories company named Steave Smith. The Steave Smith Collection consists of a line of fashionably hand-designed bowties all geared towards supporting philanthropic causes. In our conversation I grew a better understanding of the passion and dedication the founders have towards not only succeeding, but making a difference in society with their fashion forward ties.
Founder Steave Smith is a Barber/designer from New Haven, Connecticut. As a barber his career has been filled with many accomplishments that led him to win national competitions and be the go to man and celebrity barber in his town. But, if you are wondering where does the bowties come in? Designing bowties came natural to Steave because bowties were always his staple. Steave says;
“So, what everyone knows me best for not for only being an outstanding barber, but being the barber always wearing the bowtie, so it was like part of my gimmick. I started seeing the bowtie trend start to pick up and I decided if everyone else is going to wear bowties I have to have the best bowtie on”
Interestingly, with the bare basic knowledge of sewing that he learned from his mother. Steave bought his first sewing machine and self taught his self how to sew. Steave hysterically described his first design as something that can only look good in pictures. Within the first 6 months of starting his collection in 2015 it picked up rapidly gaining attention of Music Producer and Reality TV Star Stevie J. With the help of his right hand Saraya Burke the VP of the Steave Smith Collection she contacted him about their innovative initiative Ties for change. Stevie J. ordered 3 ties right away which included one of the ties he wore during the Yandy Smith and Mendece Wedding ceremony. The collection now has a full line of 43 handcrafted designs that they describe as bold, unique, and inspiring.
“My designs are Bold, because if you walk into any store and look at their bowtie selections you won’t be able to tell the difference between designers, but you always know a Steve Smith Collection when you see it. Unique, because of the distinctive look of our designs. We step outside of the box in terms of designing while still keeping the classy and elegant look of a bowtie. Inspiring; because what we are doing is in terms to give back to someone else with Ties for Change.”
Ties for change was inspired by Steave’s mother a four times cancer survivor. The strength she conveyed through her struggles inspired his idea to design a special line of bowties with a purpose. The mission of the Steave Smith Collection is not only to add some pizzazz’s to your classic bow tie, but also to bring awareness of real world issues that society has underlined. It was very interesting to hear about some of the organizations Saraya & Steave came across, and the issues they were facing when it came to getting funding to support their mission.
“When you walk into a Steave Smith store I want you to be able to pick up any item from our store and flip it over to see that every item in the store is dedicated to a specific charity or foundation because some of these foundations cannot receive proper funding. We spoke to an organization from Connecticut named Developing Tomrrow’s Professional (DTP) that is about helping young men gain proper education to develop their future. Their funding was just cut because they were told there was not enough money to support them”
Ties for change has teamed up with Giants Running back Rashad Jennings for his foundation The Rashad Jennings Foundation. A organization that has a mission to entice children’s learning and reading. The collaboration with Rashad Jennings released special limited edition bowties in 2015. Ties For Change has also worked with the Breast cancer foundation creating special ties to bring awareness, and support to the American Cancer Foundation for Breast Cancer. If your interested in learning more about the Collection checkout their website at www.steavesmith.com