Sovereign Beck: Ideals of Ties

Ryan Sovereign and William Beck have been collaborating both musically and visually since meeting at The Rhode Island School of Design. In the Spring of 2005, the idea of the Sovereign Beck collection was conceived. The line draws "upon both the traditional and the classically abstract ideals of tie design." Ryan and Will took a  short break from the everyday demands of running Sovereign Beck to be interviewed by Behance.

Behance: Amidst all of your ideas and the daily actions involved in running a company, how do you stay organized and ensure that your time is well spent?

Ryan: I make a lot of lists.  We generally try to keep a schedule, and have certain missions per meeting, and hopefully stay focused.  Then after (if) we finish things we have to do, we brainstorm about everything we could do with Sovereign Beck if we didn't have to do all the things we need to do, (like renting a Lamborghini for photo shoots). In the end, I wouldn't really say our time is always well spent, but we have fun spending it!

Will: Yeah, I really count on Ryan's lists!  We are good about meeting regularly (not always as easy as you might think) but we might be floundering if we didn't create a clear set of tasks that need to be accomplished. One of the first things I do when we get together is ask Ryan "Alright, what have we got on the list?”

Behance: What are some of the greatest frustrations or challenges you face as creative professionals?

Ryan: Money, getting it. keeping it. Spending it wisely. We have so many ideas to expand and promote that brand. It's all about making the most with what we've got.

Will: Ditto! (that's funny, I would say the exact same thing). Besides that, I would say getting everyone you want to see your product to see it.

Behance: The sad reality in the creative world is that most new ideas bite the dust. How do you guys stay focused and accountable to your goals when developing new ideas?

Ryan: The hardest part was getting on the track...I think at this point we have various ideas and the ones that stick, or that really excite us, happen. You know, only the strong survive. Also, with our collections, the anticipation of seeing the end result keeps me going. It's one of the most exciting parts of our process when we get back samples and they come out beautiful.

Will: This is where having two of us really helps. It takes approval by both of us for any ideas to "survive". At this point, we both are on the same page as far as what "track" we want to be on so there is less time spent on figuring that out…

Behance: How does collaboration help you generate new ideas?

Will: As the old saying goes, "Two heads are better than one." Our initial sketches are done separately but when it comes to eliminating ideas or deciding to take some further, it is always a two man decision. A design such as Levitate started as a drawing I had done but as we played around with it, it became an entirely new pattern. I don't think it is something that either of us would have created on our own.

Ryan: We're all about bouncing ideas. It's an essential part of what we do. Most steps of the process are filtered through both of us. The sum is greater than it's parts.

Behance: Tell us a bit about your mission, what motivates you, and what are you hoping to accomplish?

Will: I think our mission revolves around the basic idea of changing how neckties are viewed. They don't have to just be stripes or worn only by bankers in suits. A lot of the initial motivation for me was the lack of ties that interested me, and the desire to create something that I would wear...

Ryan: Basically to put something new into the world that excites at least a handful of people…(something) that you've never seen before and maybe never expected to see. We strive to create something that will be as relevant in 20 years as it is now...maybe more so. I hope to constantly push forward, keep fresh, expand on what we have already accomplished and have fun doing it!