On this episode, Indie chats with Matthew Herman, one of the masterminds behind Boy Smells - a brand that sells highly spirited scented candles, fine fragrances and intimate wear for the genderful.
Gender neutrality has long been a norm in the fashion world. However, GENDERFUL self-care is now what seems to be taking precedence. Is this due to fashion being influenced by social issues, or is it because brands now realize that the disparity has lately become fuzzy?
In this candid interview with Indie, Matt shares his backstory, how he found himself drawn to entrepreneurship and growth strategies for brands that represent a subculture. Calling out worn-out definitions of masculinity, Matt talks about co-creating a gender “full” future with his audience and using his brand to disrupt stereotypes of what it means to be a man today.
Links:
On this episode, Indie chats with Matthew Herman, one of the masterminds behind Boy Smells - a brand that sells highly spirited scented candles, fine fragrances and intimate wear for the genderful.
Gender neutrality has long been a norm in the fashion world. However, GENDERFUL self-care is now what seems to be taking precedence. Is this due to fashion being influenced by social issues, or is it because brands now realize that the disparity has lately become fuzzy?
In this candid interview with Indie, Matt shares his backstory, how he found himself drawn to entrepreneurship and growth strategies for brands that represent a subculture. Calling out worn-out definitions of masculinity, Matt talks about co-creating a gender “full” future with his audience and using his brand to disrupt stereotypes of what it means to be a man today.
Links:
Hello, everybody, I am back. And today I'm really excited. I'm sitting virtually with Matthew Herman, one of the founders of boy smells the beloved brand. And I'm really excited to just dive in and get to know you better so that our audience really learns the why behind the brand, because I think it's really very special and very impactful, as well as inspiring. So welcome. Hi, everybody. by a great group of people, and I'll go into all that, but I can just start by saying that, um, you know, before I was in the candle industry, I was a fashion designer, and I was a fashion designer, for most of my professional life, I've just been doing, boy smells for the past, you know, five years. So it's just a small fraction of my, like, professional history, but even when I was in fashion entrepreneurship was definitely a part of company culture. And one of my first days there was the day that hashtag girlboss came out I read that and you know, it kind of demystified a little bit of like you know starting your own business to me um, so when David when I met David my partner he was also working in fashion as head of production for luxury cashmere line. And you know, we were vibe. Yeah, you know, and we're also currently a vibe. It's exactly, I didn't think I'd ever be like, in sandals, like at work, but you know, here we are. Um, and so, you know, when we were talking about just like being, you know, queer individuals, men, but like, also not really relating to like, those stories that even see like maybe in Chelsea in New York or in West Hollywood in LA, like, as this, like, really honest and exciting point in my life, where I was feeling very, like, centered and arrived and like, in my own power of myself, and a part of that was, you know, embracing fragrances that I wore, that we're more traditionally feminine, you know, it's just like, like, we haven't started gendering fragrance to like this century, like, right around the same time that we you know, but when we came out with it, all of my girlfriends and fashion, were like, Oh my god, I love this. And I realized, like, when I'm sitting there, like, I'm this guy. I'm like design designing all the dresses, I look across the table from me, and my girlfriend is wearing like jeans and leather and she's like the design director for like, all of leather, all of denim. And you know, she's wearing That is what allows me to that's my superpower. Right? I love it. I love that you know what your superpower is. And I completely agree. What I love about voicemails is we're taking down those those labels, right? And you're really embracing fluidity because we all have a masculine and feminine side whether whether we choose to look at it, that's, that's a personal choice. We all have it. Yeah. That's crazy. So, you know, I think that I created boy smells because I wanted, like, if a brand like that existed when I was younger, I think I would have been healthier because of it. And that's what really drives us our purpose today. So most brands, or a lot of brands use like the term gender less. So boy smells core tenant is gender fullness, I want to Yes, I definitely want to talk, I embrace, like the powers on both sides of the binary It is like a yin and a yang, it is a solar and a lunar. The combination of which makes stellar you know, like it is about like harnessing this full idea of yourself, which is like your greatest power source. And I think that from everything from our co labs to the way we create product and men's next scent knows like everything we do call like light wear? Yeah, you know, like, like, that's like pretty much like my day to day. I mean, not right now but like, That's like my day to day outfit is just like I like you know, we are all a mix like a things and like identity is and sometimes they're contradictory and polarizing and like you know, you were gonna go and where you're like entrepreneur drag or your mom drag or your yoga drag or like aspect of who you are right? You know, and you're going to go out and play that role, and they're all important to you, and they're all genuine to who you are. But like if we can make products that are truly as complex and dynamic as the identities of the people who wear them, because modern identity is a journey, we're not like static destinations, you know, like, we're not like our mom's like, for my home. I want it for Well, let's face it. I mean, that's why we came out with the wellness line because we were using a Roma therapeutic, you know, like Roma therapy to evoke different emotions, right? And that sense of well being, you know, sleep distress, energize all those things, but using scent profiles, because you're absolutely there is a tie to an emotion for various different scent like really beautiful, expensive special light, I think, for me was incredibly powerful kind of when I was going through what I kind of call My Second Coming of Age, which was like, you know, when you really kind of come to terms with, you know, I'm gonna be me for myself, not me for somebody else. And that was such a powerful time in my life. And that really coincided with us starting boy smells, underwear. I'm sorry, candles, underwear then fine fragrance. Okay, sorry. Yeah, I made that mistake. So but still not a linear path. Yeah, I understand the candles and the fine fragrance I was like, and weird, but but it makes sense. But I'm like, Where did that come from I now obviously understanding your love of design. Yes, an interesting, an interesting product lineup. So the traditionally I brushing your teeth and like putting on your deodorant and identity affirming moment versus being like, who who relates to like, meant to face you know what I mean? Like, no, no, no one's like, Oh, that's so me. No. Absolutely, but I love. I love that sense of creating intimate moments with yourself and not being defined as feminine or masculine. But just sense of self. And yeah, that's absolutely, that's it, you've nailed that. And if you can look in the mirror and be like, that's my ideal of beauty and not like, Oh, I fucking hate myself. And you know, I look like shit. And like, I don't look like the you know, like, that's who I want to be about ownership to, it's really taking control and taking back that power. And I do think having the conversation, it makes so much sense, the underwear To be quite honest with you. Because when you put on something that feels very much you underneath, it's like anything you put on over that is just an extension. I mean, I'll be honest, if I'm putting on innovation. Shin and suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth, it is literally an essential life's service. And it's our second year partnering with them. Last year, we gave 47,000. And this year, we were so excited to like more than double that, and I won't name names, but there are huge corporations in the US that like, you know, their yearly donation to an LGBT charity is $100,000. You know, it is a for us an thank you so much. And like I have to thank like the everybody who started it, Brandon Flynn, Tommy Dorfman, Lena bloom, got Nick and Simone, everybody, like showed up and shared, like really honest, and like poignant stories about community queerness, pride identity. And what I love about this campaign, it's not just selling the product, it's really celebrating everybody's story and the It was so interesting to really understand what it meant and about the creativity, but also the stepping into oneself that I had no understanding of I'll be completely honest, I mean, obviously I understood queer at but I never understood drag, to be honest with you. I just it wasn't that I was shunning it, I just, I didn't understand the complexity of it. And the artistry and the stepping And like, and it's the whole idea, the whole thing is kind of absurd, you know, like, like, drag is an absurd version of something that we do every single day right to go out and project the idea of whatever you want to project. So I love the whole concept and it is such a fun, kind of like, one it's like so exciting and so fun to like, go and observe these amazing performances and see the For people to kind of be like, it's all absurd. So let me just go out there and be myself and like, normalize it to the absurdity. Yeah become you start to realize that this shouldn't be this should be celebrated. This should this What are you afraid of? You know what I mean? Exactly? What does this bring up? I know exactly. And I love it for the artistry, I love it by the self expression, but and understanding that there's an opportunity to invite more people into your brand that is like, that is not only like, a good, moral, ethical code, yeah. But it's, it is a, you know, financial opportunity, as well, you know, life course, like, that's not why we did it. But that's why a lot of people are interested in our brand. And its success is because it's also smart business, if you or else you're gonna get left behind. Perfectly said, so my last question is, as an entrepreneur, right, who's also working with your life partner. Okay, how do you find ways to recharge and be present? Oh, I mean, that is such a great question. And something that I struggle with, you know, daily, because there's there will never be a day where I'm like, got all the work done. Please, that's impossible. Because it is just the the brand becomes its own living and breathing thing, right? It's, I mean, it's a child to me. It's a living, breathing child that is constantly needs to be fed and nurtured. Yes, totally. But if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of that child. Absolutely. So I was super bombed when my yoga studio closed during the pandemic. But Yoga is just now starting to reopen here in LA. I was in New York last week, and I got to take a class at SkyTeam, which I was so excited about. And so Yoga is a really important part of recharging to me. I also work out but it's like, it's an endorphin rush, So I love to get away spend time with family and see new places and new cultures and things like that, that keeps me creatively recharged. You know, it allows me to like take on new perspectives and widen my like overall kind of like scope of how I see the world which is super important to me. So both of those things are are super important. And then I mean who can resist like hanging on the boy smells calm you'll be able to find the whole product range we have expanded into 50 Nordstrom doors so good so exciting and we'll be in all 100 by the end of August which we're so proud of. And the UK you can find us at spacing k in France you can find us at galleries alpha yet in Australia you can find us at Mecca so those are kind of like our you know bigger scale partners that you might I really, really enjoyed myself.