Is that a fish?

The other week, I was mindlessly scrolling on Instagram before bed (as one does), when a curious post stopped me dead in my tracks. It wasn’t the headless man wearing a striped shirt that caught my eye, but rather the unconventional tie that he sported around his neck. Was I looking at a pink grouper fish tie? Wacky and wonderful—I was instantly intrigued.

Turns out, novelty ties are exactly what the Bangkok-based brand Tie a Knot specialize in. Rather than being a professional and sleek work accessory, the emerging label is making the case for the tie as more of a statement piece. I scrolled further through its delightfully-weird page, and discovered plenty of whimsical styles shaped like lizards, sharks, eels, and yes, more fish. In other words, certainly not the traditional humdrum ties that your dad or accountant wears to the office.

Photo: Courtesy of @tie.a_knot

Photo: Courtesy of @tie.a_knot

On a more tame level, we also saw spirited tie styling on the high-fashion runways this season. Wacky ties, it seems, are in. Louis Vuitton layered a striped tie underneath bijoux necklaces; Saint Laurent clashed polka-dottie ties with striped shirts. KidSuper even had ties adorned with Scrabble tiles. Sure, these may not be as wild as the Jaws-style shark tie—dun dun!—that Tie a Knot recently debuted, but its more the spirit of all these crazy ties that I am into for the summer.

Adding an eccentric tie to your look is the perfect subversion to a 9-to-5 outfit. Who says you can’t infuse your work wardrobe with a little fun? If wearing a solid or classic striped tie is conforming to the rigid rules of the corporate world, a wackadoodle fish tie is the sartorial version of sticking it to the man! The ties embrace individuality, uniqueness, fun.

Basically, take this away from the trend: Remember in Zoolander when Mugatu proudly proclaimed that he invented the piano key necktie? Channel that energy when purchasing your next tie. Everyone might not get it, but don’t be afraid to set trends and take risks. Your cushy desk job might be boring, but your tie doesn’t have to be.