Even with more than 100 ties in his closet, Chris Mumm had nothing to wear. The 32-year-old Minneapolis corporate lawyer usually relied on just a few striped favorites, "fairly standard design," some more than a decade old. The rest remained in the dark depths of his closet, never to see the light. "I just kept accumulating them," said Mumm, a small-scale hoarder of white-collar accessories.
Then he joined Tie Society. A Netflix-like subscription service for renting ties via mail, Tie Society has been invigorating the neckwear collections of Dapper Dans since its founding late last year.
Mumm joined three months ago and has seen his wardrobe revitalized. Stripes turned to paisley, boring blue turned to iridescent purple. And he is finally considering purging some of his outdated overstock. "It gives me a little more confidence that I can part ways with some of the ties," said Mumm.
For more than a decade, Netflix and Zipcar have dominated the product-sharing industry with DVDs and automobiles, respectively. Now, online portals for sharing baby toys, moving supplies and even evening gowns are becoming the libraries of the 21st century.
Washington, D.C.-based childhood friends Otis Collins and Zac Gittens launched Tie Society in November and have already become profitable proffering Brooks Brothers, Gitman Bros. and Barbara Blank ties to well-dressed masses of all ages.
"We have a kid as young as 13. I talked to his parents the other day, because they wanted to know what he wanted the credit card for," said Collins.
Tie Society has four pricing plans from $11 per month for one tie at a time, up to $50 per month for 10. Members make a queue, called an "online closet." When they return one tie, the next in the queue arrives a few days later.
Mumm pays $30 a month to rent five ties at a time, and his subscription has opened him up to a new world of fashion. That iridescent purple paisley tie? "I would have never in a million years bought that in a store," said Mumm. Now, he's thinking of buying one like it. Just, "maybe not as loud."
