Haband was founded in Paterson, New Jersey by childhood friends Max Habernickel Sr. and John Anderson, who combined their last names to create the company name: Haband. Max Habernickel worked in Paterson's famed silk industry, then known as the "Silk Capital of the World." He collected leftover silk fabric and began manufacturing them into ties. John Anderson, who worked at a local bank, joined with Habernickel selling those ties door-to-door to fellow bankers in the area.