We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matt Fox. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matt below.

Matt, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

In 2008, my partner Enrique and I started our business as a side project. We both had other careers, but we were looking for a creative outlet. We decided to launch our own line of ties, bow ties, and pocket squares, selling them online from our Manhattan apartment. The response was incredible, and we quickly gained significant press attention. However, after a couple of years, we found ourselves at a crossroads. Despite our success, we were essentially breaking even and investing a lot of time without any financial reward. We had to decide whether to fully commit or walk away.

At the time, I had a successful career as the Associate General Manager of a major Broadway company. I was respected in the industry and well-paid. When my boss announced he was leaving, it was assumed that I would be promoted. But I was ready for a change, so I gave my notice and decided to dedicate myself full-time to our business. My co-workers thought I was crazy. How could I leave such a great job? But it felt like the right decision.

Almost immediately, opportunities started opening up. We began hosting pop-up shops and eventually decided to search for a permanent brick-and-mortar location. After about nine months, we found our space on West 49th Street in Midtown Manhattan, and we opened in the fall of 2012. Looking back, I’m still amazed by the risk I took leaving my successful career behind. But I’m so glad I did.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Fine And Dandy is a brand specializing in classic accessories. Our collection includes ties, bow ties, pocket squares, suspenders, sock garters, ascots, spats, cufflinks, tie bars, collar bars, and more.

Few businesses focus solely on accessories, so many of our customers come to us when they can’t find what they’re looking for elsewhere or when they want a wider selection. We often serve clients shopping for special events like weddings, openings, and galas, as well as wardrobe crews for film, TV, and theatre.

Approximately 80% of our products are our own brand, with most items made locally. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve developed over the years, especially as much manufacturing has moved away from the USA.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pandemic was an incredibly challenging time for us. There wasn’t much demand for bow ties and pocket squares when people were at home on Zoom calls in sweatpants.

Early on, I reached out to our bow tie manufacturer to check in on her. She was deeply worried—every single order from her clients had been canceled. Somehow, the conversation turned to masks, and she agreed to try making some for us. That same day, I gathered scrap fabrics from previous collections and sent them to her. Ten days later, she shipped me a box of about 50 masks. I quickly photographed them and added them to our online shop. They sold out in less than an hour. At the time, masks—especially stylish ones—were hard to come by.

For the next nine months, we followed a steady routine: I sent her a box of fabric, about a week later she sent back finished masks, and I quickly photographed and listed them online. It’s safe to say that masks kept the lights on for both our business and our manufacturer.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Even before we launched our web shop we created a blog. Remember blogs?! Blogging gave us the opportunity to cultivate a community of folks interested in classic menswear. Early on we did a weekly post called Formal Friday. It was the opposite of casual Friday. We would encourage folks to get dressed up and send us a photo for our weekly post. It was a ton of fun and very well received. Even though we’ve moved on from blogging, Instagram has become a major part of our business. I think the most important thing about social media is authenticity. Our followers want to see the real us, not some glossy/staged photo. An insider or behind-the-scenes approach has worked really well for us. And of course it’s important to be active. Like and comment on other posts. And always reply to messages.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://FineAndDandyShop.com
• Instagram: @FineAndDandyShop
• Facebook: @FineAndDandyShop
• Twitter: @FineNDandyShop