“Gentlemen’s Bow Tie Raceday” DIY bow tie workshop

To celebrate the successful return of the most anticipated gentlemen’s horseracing event of the year, the 2017 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy “Gentlemen’s Bow Tie Raceday” to be held on 22^nd October at the Sha Tin Racecourse, the two organizers, Oriental Watch Company and The Hong Kong Jockey Club, hosted an exclusive DIY bow tie workshop on 9^th August at the Happy Valley Racecourse for the enjoyment of friends of media. Renowned bow tie designer Weixu Wang was invited to share his insights into bow tie design, demonstrated his remarkable bow tie handcrafting skills and guided the guests through a fun and eye-opening experience of creating their own personalized bow ties.

Driven by his unceasing passion for men’s fashion, especially bow tie design, Weixu Wang, originally a trained architect, decided to break into the fashion industry and establish his own men’s accessory brand WEIXU WANG in Shanghai in 2011. Exercising his special architectural skills and vision, WEIXU WANG has immediately become an important name in the bow tie sector, particularly renowned for its three-dimensional cutting and the use of innovative materials. His works have now become well sought-after items among trendsetters and celebrities, including Kai Ko, William Wei and BabyJohn.

Members of the media arrived at the workshop in good spirit. After a brief introduction by the master of ceremony, Weixu Wang was invited to share with the guests his vision on bow tie design and the transition of his career path from architecture to men’s accessory design, followed by an anticipated DIY session. Weixu Wang chose to use PVC plastic as his teaching material and demonstrated how to turn PVC plastic, a material uncommonly used in producing bow ties, into a fabulous fashion item with the help of simple tools and the right techniques. Under Wang’s guidance, the guests stepped into a designer's shoes and let their creativity flow, enjoying a wonderful time creating unique bow ties of their own taste.

Weixu Wang remarks, “Originally created for the royalty, bow ties have now become a popular and stylish item in men's fashion. While ladies choose to put on necklaces and earrings to complete their look, it has become a trend for gentlemen to adorn their outfits with a bow tie to reflect their care for details and their personal taste. It is an honour to be invited to design unique bow ties for the 2017 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy ‘Gentlemen’s Bow Tie Raceday’ and a pleasure indeed to share the enjoyment of handmaking bow ties with the guests at the DIY workshop. In order to highlight the theme, I have integrated the elements of ‘time’ and ‘horseracing’ in each of my design for the 2017 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy ‘Gentlemen’s Bow Tie Raceday’. I look forward to seeing the race-goers attending the races in attires adorned with bow ties or bow-related elements, gracing the event with elegance and glamour.”

The three unique WEIXU WANG bow ties created for 2017 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy “Gentlemen’s Bow Tie Raceday” are shown below:

Golden Time

To accentuate the grandness and elegant vibe of horseracing, this bow tie is designed in a traditional style and graced with detachable tassels that resemble a horse's tail. The design is further highlighted with a timepiece ornament and golden sewing threads, reminiscent of an elegant pocket watch with a long bracelet that lasts beyond time.

Glorious Moment

Celebrating the happy winning moment of each race, the designer divides the horse head into four geometric segments and stitches them together by hand similar to a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Brass and wood are used to highlight the past of time as these two materials age over time and display the traces of time. 

Embroidered Glory

The designer chooses this classic bow tie cutting as a canvas for his artistic “painting”. The horse pattern on the bow-tie is realized with different embroidery techniques: by flat embroidery, the horse takes center stage in a sketch-like fashion, while three-dimensional embroidery is applied in the bridle and the watch dial, giving the design a distinctive texture and a strikingly vivid look.