CLEVELAND, Ohio — After watching her son struggle to teach himself how to tie a necktie, Jowan Smith concluded that there must be hundreds of young men living in her hometown of Cleveland who don’t know the skill or have anyone to show them. She was right.
- The 1,000 Ties event gave young men the chance to learn the skills they’ll need to be successful, starting with tying a tie
- Jowan Smith started the event after realizing many young men in her hometown of Cleveland didn't know how to tie a necktie, or have anyone to show them
- The event, now in its second year, is held for young men, ages 6-21
“Especially when you have a generation of like 20 to 30 where they just don't wear a tie, it's not a fashion statement right now,” CEO of 1,000 Ties Jowan Smith said.
So, she started the 1,000 Ties event. Smith says teaching these young men how to tie a necktie is just the start. The event, now in its second year, held for young men ages 6-21, consists of workshops, mentoring sessions, networking opportunities, tie lessons and more.
“When you look good you feel good, so I thought that maybe if we teach the young men some of these basic skills, we can help break some of these cycles of generational poverty and give them the confidence to step out and, you know, pursue things that they wouldn't necessarily do,” Smith said.
Guest speaker and author Christopher Scott explained to the young men that the way they dress impacts the way they see themselves and how others view them.
“One of my mentors taught me actually how to put on a tie, and I remember in my neighborhood, when you dress a certain way, people treat you different,” said Scott.
He also spoke about having confidence, college preparation and the importance of leading by example.
“I’m originally from Cleveland, Ohio, so it’s really important that I come back to my neighborhood where I grew up,
said Scott. “One of the biggest things I noticed is a lot of the times when people leave the neighborhoods, they never really come back to, to inspire the young people, on how to make it out.”
Each event attendee was given the opportunity to pick out two ties and were then paired with a mentor who taught them how to tie it.
“It’s reminiscent of tying a shoe, it’s not too difficult, it's just a slight switch of hand motions. The main thing I say is practice makes perfect,” said Robert Whitsett of The Royal Ties.
This is Robert Whitsett’s second time attending the event. His business, The Royal Ties, makes custom bowties and accessories. He says he loves seeing the smiles of these young men after they successfully tie a necktie.
“It's just great to be a part of something so that they can, they can relate, see someone else with the same skin color doing something they may not know they could do, but what is the right attire, the right representation. They can be something better than what they ever thought they could,” Whitsett said.
