TheTieBar, actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson launch bow tie collection

CHICAGO—Online furnishings retailer TheTieBar.com launched a limited edition bow tie line with Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson last week. The 21-piece collection supports Tie the Knot, an organization that Ferguson and his partner Justin Mikita started to advocate for marriage equality.

Ferguson and Mikita hosted a launch party in Los Angeles with TheTieBar’s founders, Greg and Gina Shugar.

“Justin and I have been so thrilled with the excitement surrounding Tie the Knot and are pleased to announce the Human Rights Campaign as our first beneficiary,” said Ferguson. “We have worked closely with this organization over the past few years and have been inspired by the tireless work they do for the LGBT community and the fight for Marriage Equality.”

“It’s a great partnership to be involved with,” commented Shugar. “Both from the charity component and the celebrity component. We’re probably one of the few companies that could have done this because there aren’t many that design, manufacture, market and sell; we do everything. That process was very smooth, and I credit Jesse and Justin for that. It’s been a really good partnership that has obvious marketing appeal for our company and it’s a cause that Gina and I, as owners, very much support, so it was an easy decision for us.”

The ties sell for $25 retail at TheTieBar.com. Tie the Knot will donate up to $200,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the ties to the Human Rights Campaign.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson stars on ABC’s Modern Family, an ensemble cast mockumentary-style sitcom about three related families in Los Angeles.

TheTieBar.com, based in Chicago, was founded by Greg and Gina Shugar in 2004 as an online neckwear retailer, selling silk ties for $15 retail. The site has since expanded with wool, cotton and linen ties and added tie bars, cuff links, pocket squares and socks.