Handsome&Lace About
About Handsome&Lace
Handsome&Lace started in Toronto, Canada as a 'for her' line which consisted of necktie earrings, necktie necklaces, and lavish hairbands made from the silk of vintage neckties. There was a clear theme here and when the first customer requested an actual necktie made by hand, I knew it was going to be a fun ride. With over 20 years of hand stitching experience, the tailored vibe was sort of the first note I made, it was important to make quality over quantity.
I was skilled by two headpiece designers to hand stitch good enough to sell to Holt Renfrew and I took those skills to my own brand catching the attention of celebrities like Noah Reid from Schitts Creek, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Rhys Darby, the Property Brothers and more.
I try to break free from the same old neckties and bowties while keeping a tailored and clean design base. From upcycled materials to raw silks, linen, wool, velvet and whatever else has personality and major quality, I'll use it!
What I love is wearing things that nobody else has because in the end we dress to express (not necessarily impress ) When you purchase ties from Winners or Major Chains, you'll end up crossing paths with someone wearing your identity. I'm all about creating what you love, and what speaks to your personality. Not every tie needs to be the best tie ever, but I think having at least one piece that you inspired, makes you feel truly genuine.
Each piece is made by hand from cutting my own custom tie patterns, ironing and hand stitching them like back in the day. (You can see the process here) I don't send things off to to be done for me, this is all me. The atmosphere around here is fun, music loving, and dancing when you just feel an urge. This is not a sweat shop or a place to undermine the craftsmanship of handmade.
These are pieces are carefully made
About Me - Keira Morgan
I've been sewing for over 20 years, which started as making my own clothing when I was 16 years old. I was a little obsessed with it actually, but my patience back then was short and I wasn't confident enough to sell anything. I got my sewing spark going again after a 2 year hiatus by crafting womens hairbands from silk neckties. I perfected this when I worked with a luxury brand at the time called Le Categon, made up of 2 women over the age of 60 and it was inspiring how skilled and creative they were. I had never seen anything like their work.
From there my addiction to sewing was stronger than ever, and honestly, it's just been busy for 11 years. 2020 really took me for a loop beyond Covid, but luckily mask making saved me this year as weddings and the need for looking your best isn't as important.
Thank you to everyone who values what I do! <3
A little Deeper: Humble beginnings:
I started my life with a not-so-glamorous past. My mother was single, had 3 kids, no way to make full time money, and lived far from any other family. We were often sent to foster homes to give my mom a break and ended up being thrown around the system for a while.
My sister and I ended up being sent to my Dad's at the age of 10/11, whom we really didn't know that well and to be honest, I don't think his wife liked us AT ALL. It was so hard to be the source of someone's ugliness at that age.
I got type 1 diabetes while living there and no one taught me how to care for myself; Even though my Dad had diabetes as well, he was not in any shape to help me in that sense as he barely took care of his. I was literally living on the brink of death when I discovered sewing. (My life up to this point was just 'hanging in there" so what was there to care about? ) I was hand stitching embellishments onto my clothing when I finally got my first sewing machine when I was 16, making clothing for myself mostly-like an obsession ever since.
I dabbled in other creative outlets like photography, drawing, hair styling but always came back to sewing. In 2008 I began hand stitching couture hairbands out of mens vintage silk neckties for coworkers and friends, and had done that so many times I was able to make a mens tie from scratch.
After listing my first tie on Etsy, it sold within 4 hours. ( Back then nobody else was really hand making neckties locally ). That side of my business quickly expanded into what is now Handsome&Lace, and continues to be a home grown, local, sustainable brand that I hope you find interesting. Since sewing, I moved to Toronto from a small city on my own and started caring about my health. I'm very happy to say I made it to the other side. I found my husband while living in Toronto (that's him beside me on the couch! 15 years together so far). I was also able to quit my full time job in 2010 in order to keep up with my business and have found so much peace in being kind to myself. I don't waste time being around people who aren't the best, and I certainly feel grateful every day that I get to wake up and obsess over the newest tie concept <3
