It's a tie

If clothes make the man, then the tie certainly plays its part in completing the picture. And the Neapolitan Marinella family has built a profitable business adorning the necks of the rich and famous for the past 90 years.

A new book will present the history of the Marinella tie, with proceeds from sales going to charity. Powerbroker clients include the late John F Kennedy, Mikhail Gorbachev, both George Bush's, Bill Clinton, Francois Mitterand and Jacques Chirac. The late Ari Onassis and members of the Agnelli family were also clients.

Eugenio Marinella founded the company in 1914 and built it into a true Neapolitan institution. The Marinella tie represents timelessness, as well it should at £65 a piece. Maurizio Marinella, Eugenio's grandson, attributes the company's success and popularity to the fact that there is only one Marinella tie shop, in Naples. All clients travel to Naples to stock up, because the ties are not available on internet or by post. Maurizio does not need to advertise, as word of mouth is the only means necessary to reach new clients. He recently acquired a space at the Georges V hotel in Paris where he sells fifty ties a month, and he also has a showroom in Milan, but he is not planning to expand the business any further.

The shop opens at 6.30 am daily, in order to allow clients to purchase their ties before the commencement of a hectic work day. There is a staff of 13 on hand to provide assistance, and the emphasis is on cheerful, optimistic service, according to Maurizio.

The book will consist of black and white photographs of the knots of fifty ties, taken by Fredy Marcarini. Maurizio explained that the knot of a tie can tell a great deal about the character and mood of the wearer.