"Sold." "Under Construction." "Well landscaped." While most would immediately associate these familiar slogans with the real estate market, Susan Price '02 finds them equally applicable to dating and relationships. Struck by the similarities between dating lines and the language of the contracts she dealt with in the real estate profession, Price created a fun and flirty t-shirt label based on these slogans.
Price's label, Chez Suz, bears the tagline, "perfect for any fabulous femme who has ever found herself on-or off-the market." It is clear from the popularity of the shirts that most girls feel this statement accurately describes them. Although the shirts have only been on sale for a few months, they have created quite a buzz, with numerous press mentions and even interest from the Today Show. While doing the wholesale route in a New Hampshire store, Price knew the hard work had paid off.
"The girl in the store was like 'Yeah, I've already heard about them,'" she said.
But Price didn't always have her dream job. After graduation, she spent two years at Morgan Stanley's Washington, D.C. branch. Although she liked the city, the corporate life wasn't for her and it was too far from her family and home in Bangor, Maine.
"It just came down to wanting to get back to my roots," Price said.
Not long afterward, Price found out that her aunt and uncle, who own a realty firm in Bangor, planned to open an office in Portland. Deciding to join them, Price studied to be a realtor and moved to Portland, where the ideas for her real estate-inspired t-shirt line began.
"I thought, 'How much fun would it be to wear a for sale sign on my t-shirt?'"she said. "I wanted something simple that had a lot of expression."
It's easy to see why the shirts have been so popular. Available in a range of different colors, the fitted long sleeved tees and tanks are not only cute but also socially responsible. Made in Los Angelos by American Apparel and printed in Maine, the shirts are entirely sweatshop-free, and Price gives a portion of the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity.
"There's nothing like feeling good about what you're wearing," Price said.
Perhaps the most enticing quality of the shirts is their shock value. At Price's Bowdoin trunk-show, both she and her mom attested to the wide range of reactions they've seen to the tees. Price told the story of one woman who walked into a Portland bar wearing the "For Sale" shirt. Immediately, a man at the bar stood up and yelled, "Sold!"
While the "SOLD" tees convey unavailability and commitment in a relationship, the other slogans are more open to interpretation. "For Sale" could mean looking for a boyfriend. "For Rent" might mean looking for fun. Then again, both slogans are up for interpretation.
When asked if she has any concerns about the potential implications of the slogans, Susan seemed unruffled. "No. When a girl wears one of these t-shirts she's wearing it for her own reasons and those can be disclosed or undisclosed?it's her choice to wear it and to bear it."
It helps that Price is an outgoing young woman herself?a quality that landed her the job at Morgan Stanley. A government major while at Bowdoin, Price found the job search process "dreadful." So instead of searching for existing jobs that didn't appeal to her, Price found companies in which she was interested, regardless of their job openings. Although Morgan Stanley wasn't hiring he summer Price graduated, after a meeting with the D.C. branch manager, Susan faxed him a top ten list of reasons why he should hire a "smart, witty liberal arts grad." They 'found' a position for her two weeks later.
Price advises graduating college students to "follow up and follow through" and espouses the diversity offered by a liberal arts education. "That's the great thing about a liberal arts college?you take the creative learning skills you acquire with you and they make you an attractive job candidate,"said Price.
With her website opening in late February, a possible television appearance, and a new summer line of tanks decorated with buttons, bows, and rips, the possibilities for Chez Suz seem limitless. "This is an idea where I think, 'I can nail it,'" said Price. And, so far, it seems that she has.