Ian Murray

In 1998, Ian Murray walked away from a stable corporate job. He was 24, fresh off a 1997 graduation from Lafayette College. His older brother Shep did the same. The two launched Vineyard Vines from a cooler on Martha’s Vineyard beaches, selling handcrafted ties to vacationers between swim sessions. They formally incorporated the brand on July 3, 1998, leaning into the island’s laid-back preppy aesthetic.

No storefront. No investors. Just two brothers hawking wares off the sand. A mentor’s early advice to hit $5 million in revenue before expanding kept the pair focused for years. They stuck to the rule even as demand grew.

Their first brick-and-mortar store opened in 2003, and they immediately realized they knew far about tie design. The 2008 financial crisis threatened to sink the young brand, but they leaned into their core coastal customer base, and emerged from the downturn stronger. By 2020, Forbes reported the company had crossed $1 billion in annual revenue, with a product line stretching far beyond its original ties to shirts, hats, belts, and women’s apparel, sold through more than 100 retail locations and a strong e-commerce site. Murray now splits his time between Vineyard Vines’ Stamford, Connecticut headquarters and frequent trips to Martha’s Vineyard, where the brand still runs a flagship store in Edgartown. He’s active on Instagram as @ianvineyardvines, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of product drops and company events. He and Shep spoke at a Georgetown University alumni gathering in April 2008, per university archives. The brothers still serve as co-CEOs, a rarity for a billion-dollar private brand, and credit their early beachside hustle as the foundation of the company’s no-frills, customer-first ethos.