Robot & Brucling vs. Topman - Bow Ties: The Look for Less

Although I'm not into couture or costume styled bow ties, I cannot deny that Robot & Brucling bow ties have caught on in the fashion world. Bruce Franklin and Christopher Bennett are the owners of Robot & Brucling, a custom bow tie company launched in April of 2010.

Bruce and Christopher created the brand around their love of history, art and punk and rock ‘n’ roll music. They use a variety of materials to achieve an edgy look, including leather, studs, denim, rhinestones, metals and chains. Celebrities like Steph Jones, Beyonce and Rhianna have celebrated the brand.

These guys are good at what they do, but the price tag that accompanies their pieces are rather hefty. With the cheapest thing on their website being a denim bow tie for $65.00, I had to find similar bow ties that provide consumers with the same look at a lower price point. Surprisingly, I found a few similar ties at TopMan, that with a little alteration would look exactly the same as the Robot & Brucling bow ties.



Here's a few looks. Click on each photo to jump to the product to purchase.

Look 1

This Robot & Brucling bow tie features leather with silver dome studded top and bottom edges and adjustable 18” neck strap. It goes for $125.00 on the brand's online shop.

You can get the same feel from this "Zip Edge Bowtie" from Topman. It features 100% metallic fibre around all of the edges and goes for $12.00 on TopMan's website as well as in the Chicago and New York stores. It may not be the exact same thing, but it's the same feel and at a way cheaper price. Think, you can buy about 10 of these for the price of the Robot and Brucling equivalent.
Look 2

This 100% raw denim bow tie goes for $65.00 at Robot & Brucling. I will admit that dark denim bow ties for men are hard to find. But there are still cheaper options available at TopMan.
TopMan has this blue floral and denim chambray reversible self-tie bow tie for $20.00. Although, you will need to know how to tie a bow tie with this look, it's a $40.00 savings, and you get two looks in one. For $40.00, I'll teach you how to tie a bow tie myself. That sounds like a plan to me.



Whether you purchase from Robot & Brucling or TopMan, it's always good to check out viable alternatives that can save you money. You can't tie it all together when you don't have any money left to complete the rest of your look. The goal to shopping is to think and be smart. Sometimes you just need to do a little research. It wouldn't hurt to keep a few dollars in your pocket, would it?

Until Tomorrow,

Gabriel