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[title]Bangkok isn’t always known for drab office wear. In fact, it’s one of the more colourful and creative cities I’ve worked in over the years. Yet behind the corporate machine, the suit and tie matchup still stands strong – a demonstration of fitting in.
But one, rather arty fellow, is pushing for the exact opposite. Why settle for a plain silk tie when you could rock up to a meeting wearing a sardine dangling from your neck? Or a lobster? Or a monkey mid-swing?
Tie A Knot founder, Thai designer Kanatach Intarakaow – better known as Tortarn – asked just this. Launching his own necktie brand that breaks the rules with truly ‘bonkers’ designs, he’s now behind one of Thailand’s most delightfully absurd and fastest-growing fashion exports – making it to Selfridges and collabing with Disney in a matter of months.
It started with a sardine
At first glance, the ties look like novelty gags dreamed up after too many office coffees. But with Thailand’s love of the avant garde, there couldn’t be a better time for Tortan to, quite literally ‘tortan’ (resist in Thai) the office fashion rules.
It started when I was going to a party, and needed to dress up as a robot.
Tortan explained as he opened a sack of his neckties in the Time Out office for us all to try on. ‘I had no top to go with my robot trousers so I made a robot-themed necktie.’
The tie was a hit with his fashion-forward friends, but was that just a one-off? ‘I thought, neckties could be my thing,’ added Tortan, a forefinger and thumb caressing the orange-hued snapper hanging around his neck. ‘I have always had an obsession with fish. Anything underwater really. So I thought, why not try out a fish necktie and try to sell it.’
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Fast forward a month and Tortan was set up with a stall at Ngan Sen in Chiang Mai – an art- and fashion-forward market event in the heart of the country’s most creative city.
Somewhere between fashion accessory, wearable sculpture and internet meme, Tortarn quickly cornered a niche that feels uniquely Thai: humorous, chaotic and completely unconcerned with traditional fashion rules.
Up close, the ties reveal an almost obsessive level of detail – carefully stitched fins, dangling claws and duchess fabric bodies sculpted into surprisingly lifelike forms.
By December 2024, ties were in production and the brand launched officially in February 2025, under the name Tie A Knot. From there, things moved fast. Really fast.
From Siam to Selfridges in one fell swoop
Blowing up fast on TikTok and social media, the brand was a hit. Thais were infatuated, orders careered in and before he knew it, regional audiences were hooked.
‘I’m not sure how people outside first saw my ties,’ said Tortan. ‘But it was a feature in Bazaar Hong Kong that really kicked things off.’ From there, influencers, celebrities and the fashion conscious were all vying for a fish around their necks.
Soon after, another breakout came courtesy of Thai rap superstar MILLI, who wore the brand’s now-iconic sardine tie during an appearance on Korean rap competition Show Me The Money 12. Suddenly, screenshots of fish-shaped neckwear were ricocheting across social media, introducing international audiences to one of Bangkok’s strangest fashion success stories.
‘She brought it and wore it herself,’ he clarified. ‘I had nothing to do with that appearance, but it was so surreal to see.’ Bonkers, you may say.
Before he could catch breath, Tortarn had British stylist Harry Lambert – the British fashion stylist best known for dressing Harry Styles and Emma Corrin, among many others – reaching out with a surreal proposal: a Disney collaboration sold through Selfridges in London for the Christmas season.
‘I couldn’t quite believe it, and I was certainly not prepared for such a task,’ said Tortan, explaining he has many moments of wanting to throw in the towel given the complexities around production, contracts and such fast international attention. ‘But Harry was so kind and helpful, he worked with me through it all and we brought the Tie A Knot collab to the UK without a hitch.’
Tied up in success
Independent Thai designers are increasingly finding global audiences, in all the best possible ways. Not by mimicking Western luxury trends, but by leaning into originality, humour and real, from the soul creativity.
Tie A Knot feels like a perfect example of that shift: proudly niche, unmistakably local and weird enough to become universally memorable. For Tortan, a big part of the appeal lies in the tension between formality and silliness.
‘Before Tie A Knot, I had another, even sillier brand,’ Tortan added. ‘Always into arty fashion, it was more monster focused – punky outfits, silly designs. Things that followed a theme, so not very practical.’ Tortan Official is still going, with pieces made to order, although neckties are definitely his main focus right now.
Since our interview, Tie A Knot has launched a new range of shark-themed ties, as well as a limited edition Axolotl tie, which is simply too cute to put into words. You can browse the full collection and latest releases via Tie A Knot’s official Instagram. International shoppers can swim straight to Etsy for your fishy finds.
When asked which tie was his favourite, Tortan again fingered the tie around his neck. ‘It has to be the red snapper. The orange goes well with so many of my clothes.’
Needless to say, neckties are traditionally symbols of professionalism, hierarchy and office culture. For years, I hated them. But Tortan inspired me. With a fair few of his ties in my wardrobe, they come out more often than I’d like to admit, but his ‘Bonkers Office Wear’ inspired me to stock up on a new collection of colourful, ridiculous neckties that are now part of my everyday outfits.
Tie A Knot twists the symbolism of the necktie entirely, turning the accessory into something humorous and deeply expressive instead. It’s fashion with a wink – if fish could wink – and a not-so-subtle protest against the monotony of modern workwear. It’s time to cause a splash at the office.