Tie maker keeps eye on quality as it dips a toe into China via Hong Kong

What do Bill Clinton, Nicolas Sarkozy and the Prince of Wales have in common? For one thing, they are all fans of Italian luxury tie maker E. Marinella.

The family-owned brand from Naples has for the better part of a century been linked to some of the most powerful men in the world. Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi would order hundreds of them each month to hand out to heads of state on official visits.

The company, famous for its handcrafted ties with up to nine folds, has never done advertising and marketing but prefers a more intimate approach.

In fact, third-generation owner Maurizio Marinella will not hesitate to personally tie a four-in-hand snugly on his customers and offer them espresso and sfogliatelle in stores.

The brand has, however, gradually expanded its footprint outside Italy. It opened its first Hong Kong shop as a temporary kiosk on the third floor of the IFC mall and will follow it up in June with a permanent boutique at Landmark.

As the company celebrates the brand’s 100th anniversary, Marinella tells the Post how he is expanding this very traditional Italian brand abroad, what a crackdown on visible luxury for China’s politicians means for the company’s outlook in the region and how it navigates the rise of the famously casually attired and non-tie-wearing tech crowd up the ranks of the business elite.

How did the company become famous for its ties?