Emil Corsillo values integrity. He values the honest way selvedge indicates fabric quality – he values consistency. Emil’s aesthetic approach to utility is seen in The Hill-Side ties, decorative yet made with utilitarian fabric. According to Emil, function should come before form, or at least have equal weight.

Hoyle: On handkerchiefs…

E. Corsillo: A worker never wore a tie to work, yet a handkerchief historically was carried both by gentlemen and working men. Whereas a tie has no real function a handkerchief is the opposite: it has many functions, the smaller ones look great in a suit jacket.

Our chambray fabrics are perfect. Really simple and understated, but they also suit the denim fetishist. It’s something that denim nerds like me can get really excited about.

Hoyle: & do you carry…

E. Corsillo: I have begun to. I used to carry a paisley bandanna, but not on a regular basis. I have grown to love the chambray ones we’ve made…I have been carrying the very first sample in my back pocket every day since I picked it up from the factory.

Hoyle: On the two inch tie width…

E. Corsillo: As a basic tie in our collection it will always be that shape… this square end tie, whether in a knit or silk or wool, has always been there, never the coolest tie but never disappearing. It has remained at roughly this width too, not getting wider or skinnier with changing trends. Whenever I have seen square or “Rooster” ties, it feels like a little more modest shape of a tie.

Hoyle: On the selvedge…

E. Corsillo: The selvedge at the tip of the tie is like a little bit of honest decoration. We’re using something that’s an inherent part of the fabric’s production process as a decorative element.

Hoyle: On Denim (The Hill-Side obtains their denim from Japan)…

E. Corsillo: In the 70s and 80s most American textile companies converted to wider but more efficient looms…. the Japanese lovers of denim started doing things like buying the old textile looms so they could make jeans the way they were made in the past. In some cases they’re making them even better…This is why our fabric must be sourced from Japan; it’s made with the care and passion of a real connoisseur, and in a lot of cases there’s nowhere else in the world to get it.

Hoyle: Visit The Hill-Side website here.

Writer: Hoyle