Interview With Matty B, Owner Of Eastern Collective

Well it all started back around 2003, when I was thirteen. One Christmas my mom, who is really into knitting, decided to teach me how to crochet hats. That year I made a few for my friends in New York. Then the following year I created a website and kids could e-mail me their design, and I would crochet the hat and ship it right to their door. Slowly one thing lead to another and now I work with a half dozen overseas manufacturers to produce all my products. I never really set out to start a company to be honest. It became a passion of mine and each year I just put in a little more effort, and it just happened to become what it is today. However I suppose I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit in me, from selling bibs at World Cup ski races at 6 years old and having a lemonade stand from when I was 8 years old. I seem to always pick up something new.

I’d say I have designed about 98% of the products that I have released. My design process is very spontaneous if something comes to me. A lot of times I’ll think of an idea for something while in class, so I’ll roughly sketch them up on the side of my notes. Then once I’m back at my computer I’ll clean the design up. Sometimes I’ll let the design sit for about a week before I look at it again because I’ll get in a groove thinking it’s the best design but after a week I’ll just think “Do I really think that will look good?” So it starts all over till I’m truly happy with it.

My favorite product to date has been the Shield Sunglasses in Matte Black that I released last summer. They are really sleek looking and work with a lot of situations I’m in. Also, I completely redid the lenses for that season which were 100 times better than previous seasons. Plus they sold out faster than any other colorway, so I’ll be rereleasing them this summer with two new lens options.

One purchase I made recently that I haven’t regretted was the purchase of some nice shoes. I picked up a pair of Wolverine 1000 Boots at the Orvis Outlet in Lake George. At the time it felt a few hundred dollars was a lot to be spending on shoes, but I’ve barely taken them off. Just with my normal every day outfits, the shoes makes them seem just a bit more classy and put together. Plus I know that I am going to have them for the next decade or so as long as I care for them from time to time.

I feel that I have a pretty mixed style. I am influenced by a bunch of opposing forces. I’m a huge fan of streetwear fashion from The Hundreds, 10 Deep, and Benny Gold; Skiing trends from brands like Jiberish; as well as a cleaner look with Brooks Brothers, J.Crew, and Uniqlo. One of my friends once called it Refined Hoodrat, which I find pretty amusing.

Easily watches are one of the best accessories. It can be a nice touch or highlight to something else you have on. Plus it can be annoying to pull out your phone every time you want to know what time it is. If your five minutes early, you’re late!

The best part about running Eastern Collective is simply just seeing people wearing my products in different places. Just seeing the support and the different people first hand feels really cool. I was at a gas station just the other day and a middle aged man walked in with a beanie from a collection 3 years ago, and I just laughed a bit to myself and thought it was awesome to see.

I would just have to say, Eastern Collective has been basically my life for the past couple years and I’m really proud of what I have created. I hope that people can connect with both the products I make and the image I’m trying to portray. Check out my website www.easterncollective.com and support my obsession!

Take your time with things and don’t rush into something you’re not ready for. It’s been 6 years or so since I have been creating collections, and I have slowly added new products to the line once I knew myself and the business were ready to handle them. Just wait for the right opportunities to arise.

It’s hard to say what the future holds. I’ll be graduating college in May so I’ll have a lot more time on my hands to figure out what direction I want to head. I’ve just been following my instincts up until now, so I can only do the same and hope things head in the right direction.