E.MARINELLA

You are paying for handwork and heritage, not a label. Each E. Marinella tie is handmade and unique, finished in the house's own workshop, and the brand has built its name on silk craftsmanship since 1914. That combination of small-batch handmade construction and more than a century of Neapolitan reputation is what sets the price.

For anyone who cares about how a tie is made, they are a benchmark purchase. The appeal is genuine handcraft, English-chosen silks and a Naples pedigree that has dressed kings and presidents. If you want a tie that feels like a small piece of craft rather than a commodity, it earns its place.

It is a tie built entirely from folded silk, with no inserts, so all of its volume and knot-hold come from the silk itself folding in on itself. The technique is associated with Naples tie-making and is exactly the kind of handwork that defines E. Marinella, where every tie is made by hand and treated as unique.

Start with a classic silk tie. Ties are the foundation the house was built on in 1914, and a single handmade Marinella tie in a versatile pattern shows off everything the brand does best. From there the catalogue opens up to scarves, pocket squares and other accessories.

It was founded by Eugenio Marinella in 1914 in Naples, in a tiny shop of just 20 square metres on the Riviera di Chiaia. That small Piazza Vittoria boutique gradually became a reference point for elegance and remains central to the brand's identity.

It is still a family business. Today the company is run by Eugenio's grandson, Maurizio Marinella, together with his son Alessandro Marinella. That direct family continuity is a real part of why the house guards its handmade traditions so closely.

Through a diplomatic habit. In the 1980s Italian President Francesco Cossiga took to giving a box of five Marinella ties to heads of state on official visits, which carried the name well beyond Italy's borders. The brand now also has standalone stores in cities including Milan, Rome, London, Turin and Tokyo.

Yes, and the client list is extraordinary. Marinella ties have been worn by politicians such as Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, as well as King Juan Carlos, King Charles, Gianni Agnelli and Aristotle Onassis, among others. That roll-call is a big part of the brand's prestige.

The house has standalone stores in Naples, Milan, Rome, London, Turin and Tokyo, and is also sold in New York at the Bergdorf Goodman Building. Buying from these official channels is the surest way to know your tie is the genuine handmade article.

Quite a lot. For men, the house offers bags, watches, cologne, cufflinks and other accessories alongside its ties. The women's line includes bags, scarves, perfumes and accessories, so the silk-craft sensibility extends well past the necktie.

Yes. E. Marinella ties were included in the ITEMS: Is Fashion Modern? exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, shown from October 2017 to January 2018. Being featured by MoMA underlines how the brand's ties are regarded as design objects, not just accessories.