Meet Matt Snow and Meredith Keller, the creative team behind the Baltimore based T-shirt label Ex-Boyfriend. The two started the line in 2005 as a creative outlet to experiment with jewelry, accessories and tees, but have slowly shifted their focus to apparel exclusively. “We try to come up with designs that are a little more left-of-center than run-of-the-mill ‘indie’ fashion trends, but still appeal to mainstream customers,” Matt says.
Among their most popular designs are Fidel Catro, Fuzz Aldrin and Kittens for Obama (see below). “We tend to just throw all of our cultural influences into a blender and create the most absurd and fun combinations that arise from that,” explains Matt. It may be no surprise that 5 percent of Ex-Boyfriend’s net profits are donated to local animal rescue and shelters like the MDSPCA and Last Chance Animal Rescue. The couple also has another site devoted purely to more nature and urban-inspired designs called Loft 45 Apparel.
I asked Matt about what his experience has been like since Ex-Boyfriend began and also how business has been lately. "Overall, it's been an ... interesting ... experience. Ideally, we'd like to do Ex-Boyfriend and Loft 45 full time, but they still don't pay the bills (yet!) I'm a graphic designer by day, while Meredith does internet marketing. You'd think between the two of us and our chosen hobby, we'd be rolling in it, but internet retail is a fickle mistress. It's a difficult balancing act, because we want to create designs that we like, but we have very unique senses of humor and very specific aesthetic tastes that are often at odds with becoming "successful" in the mainstream sense of the word, even within the context of so-called "indie" craft and design. I'm definitely the idealist of the two of us, still believing that if the concept is great and the art is great, the public will eventually come around (note to public: I'm waiting ...)."
I also asked Matt if he had any advice or insight for other crafters. “The biggest piece [of advice] we can give those who are serious about pursuing their art as a viable primary source of income is this: BE A BUSINESSPERSON," he says. "We follow the Etsy boards and The Switchboards to see what other designers are doing, both in terms of marketing and actual art/craft. And the one thing 99 percent of them have in common is a refusal to market and advertise. They claim they can't afford it, or get hung up on the cost-per-click of a web banner, and then constantly ask their peers why no one is buying their stuff. Meanwhile, they'll throw down $50-$100 to have a table at a craft show. I'm not knocking craft shows; they're great, we've done a handful of them ourselves, and it's a great way to meet fellow artisans face-to-face in the internet age. But you're essentially sitting in a chair for 10 hours, sometimes after driving for hours or flying to a show (sellers from Hawaii came to ArtStar in Philly one year), hoping to just break even after entry fees and travel & lodging expenses. Why do that when a web site and some well-targeted banner ads can sell way more stuff while you stay home and actually work on art?”
Matt went on to add, “Ultimately, all of us crafters and artists have to promote ourselves within our means, but for those of us that are serious about getting as many eyeballs on our wares as possible, that means doing a little *sigh* research and choosing the marketing method that might not result in immediate sales or the opportunity to trade a bracelet for a spool of yarn at a craft show, but will yield actual brand recognition and loyalty in the long-term.”
“One last thing?” he says, “never stop tinkering! We're constantly re-working designs, creating new ones, and tweaking our website to make it as shopper-friendly as possible. It's tedious, and boring, and frustrating, but the end result is knowing that you've put your best work out there for all the world to see.”
*Just so you know, between now and Valentine’s Day, all orders are 10 percent off when you enter the coupon code BEMINE10.*
