Collaboration between Les Bretelles de Léon and Oncle Pape

In April, Les Bretelles de Léon and Le Flageolet team up to bring you original bow tie and brace combinations!
We sat down with Sylvain, co-founder of Le Flageolet, to hear the story behind the collaboration.

Hello Sylvain, you decided to bring the bow tie back into fashion by launching Le Flageolet. How did this brilliant idea come about?

Before diving into the world of bow ties, Jérôme (my business partner) and I were working in IT, where we had to wear suits every day. When our friends started getting married, we thought it would be fun to wear bow ties, so it wouldn’t feel like we were spending our weekends in work clothes. We quickly realised we couldn’t find what we were looking for — so we started making them ourselves! The more we wore them, the more people loved them. One thing led to another, and the project grew into a full range: bow ties, ties, socks, scarves…

Are all your products made in France?

Yes, our bow ties and ties are made in our Paris workshop, and our socks are knitted in the Limousin region. Only the belts are made in Italy, in a small family-run business.

What makes your accessories unique?

Our main goal is to bring joy and break free from the stiffness of the “suit-and-tie” look, while staying stylish and elegant. We offer colourful, often reversible accessories — well, apart from the socks, of course!

When it comes to bow ties, we wanted to bring the product back to its roots. It had become either outdated or gimmicky. So we looked into its origin — even before the necktie — where it began as a ribbon tied a certain way. For us, tying the bow yourself is the heart of the product, so all our bow ties are self-tie.

What’s the secret to tying a bow tie properly?

It’s not very common nowadays, but it’s actually really simple! It’s basically two loops, like tying your shoelaces. You just need to get the hang of it — in fact, it’s even easier than tying a necktie. All our bow ties come with a little guide, and we’ve got video tutorials on our website to walk you through it.

These days, would you say the bow tie and brace combo is a classic look?

Absolutely — it’s become almost second nature. Especially since both classic braces and more quirky ones, like the noeud pap’, share a similar story: they were both cast aside for a while and have now made a real comeback. Originally quite formal accessories, they’ve found their place in modern wardrobes — and they’re perfect for festive occasions too!