Meet Moziah Bridges: 12-Year-Old Bow Tie Designer

I like to wear bow ties because they make me look good and feel good.

Moziah “Mo” Bridges loved dressing up at a young age, unlike his peers he wanted to wear suits and ties whenever he could. His style of inspiration came from his father and grandfather who would usually wear three-piece suits for no particular reason. To him, dressing up made him feel good. When he would go shopping for bow ties, all he ever found were plain and ugly clip-on. He didn’t want to wear a clip-on, “real men tie their own ties” he told his mother. Moziah had an idea, so he turned to his grandmother who worked as a seamstress for over 50 years, and asked her to teach him how to sew.

When he made his first bow tie it came out too big and uneven. He kept at it and his skills improved. Within a few months, he had a personal collection of 30 bow ties made from his grandmother’s leftover scrap fabric pieces. Some of the fabrics were vintage bold florals, African prints, choir robes, and scraps from old dresses. He wanted to do something different, he wanted to make bow ties that people were not used to seeing.

Moziah carries his bow ties in an old suitcase with racks fashioned out of clothes hangers.

As Moziah would wear his bow ties out and about, people took notice. That’s when he got the idea to sell his creations. He started off selling to his family and friends, with the help of his mother and grandmother. His sales increased through the use of  Facebook, his Etsy store, and word of mouth. His other family members started to pitch in helping him make bow ties. He started expanding his collection by using new fabrics such as gingham prints and tweeds. His bow ties are all custom made with adjustable hardware that can be altered in size.

Moziah has started the Go Mo! Summer Camp Scholarship Fund, where 100% of the proceeds from the “summer camp” bow ties are directed to sending children to the Glenview Summer Camp Program in Memphis, TN. Last year he helped send two children to camp, with the hopes of sending five more this year.

After high school, Moziah plans to attend Parsons The New School for Design in New York, with the hopes of starting his own clothing line by the time he’s 20.

“I’m a 12-year-old entrepreneur or some call me a kidpreneur. Right now I make bow ties but one day I hope to be a famous fashion designer.”

Mo’s Bows are sold online and at boutiques throughout Tennessee, South Carolina, and Texas.

To purchase one of Mo’s Bows, visit his online store MosBowsMemphis.