Agriculture + Lifestyle
Looking good, doing good
Posted on February 24, 2021 12:00 AM
Farmer Daniel Welliver poses with Southern Proper neckwear on Southern Belle Farm.
2005年，埃米·霍华德(Emmie Howard)联合创立了服装品牌Southern Proper, she didn’t set out to have an impact on Georgia’s ag industry. But 16 years later, with prominent figures such as former U.S. 农业部长桑尼·珀杜和美国农场局联合会主席齐皮·杜瓦尔正在炫耀她的签名领带, 最初的家庭企业已经发展成为一个全国性的品牌.
“Honestly, 我只是把我一直喜欢的两样东西放在一起:南方男人和时尚,” said Howard.
Co-founded with her best friend from college, 两人在霍华德位于亚特兰大地区的餐厅里开始制作领带和领结. Over the years, 他们增加了其他产品类别，这个品牌成长为一个价值数百万美元的企业. The ties remained the brand’s niche, 因为霍华德认为领带可以“展现绅士的个性”,她想利用这个窗口来展示南方的象征，以及她在里普利长大的感想, Tennessee.
“我从河上的船上看到密西西比河漂浮到玉米和花生等作物上, using these icons was a cool way to start this brand, 我们做这件事的时候，南方的饮食和时尚文化正在兴起,” said Howard, whose family is fifth generation farmers.
Featuring everything from peanuts, wheat and cotton to magnolia blossoms, tractors and ducks, 霍华德认为领带是南方绅士反映他们个性和兴趣的一种方式, while still wearing their Sunday best.
“The ties were a great way that my dad, 祖父或兄弟可以通过打领带来表达自己. 它们是很好的谈话开场白，反映了你的一部分命脉和个性,” she said.
After then Georgia Gov. 桑尼·珀杜被拍到在州议会大厦戴着南方正统领带, the brand became a must-have among legislators, especially those with ties, no pun intended, to the ag industry.
“我喜欢Southern Proper，因为它们融合了我最喜欢的两样东西:乔治亚州的农业和漂亮的领带,” Perdue said. “我听说白宫里流传着一个笑话，说我那天要戴哪条普通领带. I walked into the West Wing one day last year, 总统的助手看着我的领带，对他的同事说, ‘Hey I won! It’s his tractor tie today.’”
Jeffrey A. Harvey, 亚洲体育博彩平台公共政策部主任, 注意到南方州的领带是如何宣传乔治亚州以商品为基础的农业的, 并寻求一种方法来利用它们为农民获得更多的曝光率.
“Each year our team chooses a commodity to highlight. Whatever commodity we highlight, 我们向乔治亚州参众两院农业委员会成员和农业专员提供南方适当的联系,” said Harvey. “Now, any day that I am walking through the State Capitol, I know I will see three or four ties that we’ve given out. 就像我们多年来种下了很多种子，看着它们成长很有趣. 当这些立法者出去与人们交谈时，这是对每个人的提醒，年龄是重要的.”
Calling them “good looking ties,哈维说，他几乎可以肯定，他拥有南城所有以年龄为基础的领带.
“I love the traditional Georgia peach tie, but my favorite is the red cotton tie, although I have a light blue beef cattle tie that I love, too,” he said with a laugh.
据霍华德介绍，该品牌有史以来最受欢迎的领带是棉铃领带. 她很快补充说，花生领带也很受欢迎，尤其是在乔治亚州.
在建立对乔治亚州农业产业的支持方面，Southern Proper已经走了很长的路.
“乔治亚州的商业将永远与我们的农业产业站在一起, and Southern Proper puts their money where their mouth is,” Perdue said.
Through its unique reflection of Southern culture, the brand has built a huge fan base among Southern gentlemen.
“这些领带是人们想要购买和佩戴的时尚物品, and from our point of view, it’s such a great promotion of agriculture,” Harvey said. “We’re most appreciative of them, 我们重视它们以一种非传统的方式保持在人们思想的最前沿.”
多年来，随着农业和时尚的发展，南部地区也在不断发展. In 2012, when Howard’s original business partner divested the business, Howard found an investor and continued to grow the business. In 2018, the entrepreneurial Howard was ready for something new, so she sold Southern Proper to Alabama-based HomTex.
“When I sold, we took the team with us,” Howard said. “I told HomTex I’d commit to transition for a year, 我非常感谢他们，感谢一切都解决了.”
让球队更加熟悉球队的过渡可以归功于莫里·里昂, vice president of sales at HomTex, who has known Howard for a decade. In 2010, Lyon, who owned clothing company State Traditions, partnered with Southern Proper on a line of State ties.
“HomTex最终买下的是南方城在南方众多民众中建立起来的良好声誉和良好的品牌联系,” Lyon said. “HomTex和我们的所有者能够利用品牌熟悉度，并增加我们的资源, 制造专业知识和领导力，以帮助南方适当继续蓬勃发展.”
HomTex plans to build from the original vision, 在不偏离品牌吸引力的前提下创造新的东西.
“We are considering alternative directions for the brand, 提供更多的男性影响力，希望吸引更广泛的人群. 我们计划将Southern Proper带入与南方人民建立联系和共鸣的第三个十年，并扩大我们的地理足迹,” Lyon said.
Now, 霍华德是南方男士生活方式品牌Onward Reserve的总裁, 该公司在东南部有12家门店，销售南方正统服装.
“让我们与众不同的一点是，Southern Proper不仅仅是一个品牌. 这是南方文化和时尚的一个很酷的子类，我很自豪我们开创了这个行业. There are a lot of brands out there now, 但是没有人像我们那样为穿着得体的男士打领带和领结——这就是我们的名字:南方正统,” Howard said.
正如他们的网站所说，“风格不是钱的问题，而是礼貌的问题。. Style means doing good in the world and dressing your best. 灵感来自于那些在田地里辛勤工作却穿着盛装出席盛大场合的绅士们, Southern Proper is classic, courteous, crisp and tied like a well-knotted bowtie.”
霍华德解释道:“作为一个南方绅士，不仅仅是外表好看，还要做好事. 这就是为什么像Sonny Perdue这样的人以及像Georgia Farm Bureau这样的组织欣赏我们的品牌——我们的价值观一致.”
* Georgia Farm Bureau would like to thank Southern Belle Farm 谢谢你招待我们，给我们提供了风景如画的桃园背景. We'd also like to extend our gratitude to Daniel Welliver他在南方百丽公司工作了十多年，并在佐治亚州农业局工作 Young Farmer and Ranchers Committee, for bringing the Southern Proper attire to life. Finally, thank you to Blue the black lab for his impression of the dog on the Southern Proper logo.
