Made in Maine: Cumberland belt maker creates wearable art

Jim Taylor founded the Belted Cow Co. in 2004 with a challenge: reinvent the classic ribbon belt. More than 20 years later, Belted Cow’s ribbon belts have become a line of colorful, artist-designed belts for people and pets. Coming from a consulting background, Taylor looked at how the casual ribbon belt was a long-standing part of men’s clothing but had not moved far beyond typical navy and white anchor patterns. Taylor, his wife and a silent partner decided the ribbon designs had to be unique and created by local artists, while the belts had to meet higher quality standards. Artists like Eric Hopkins, Jennifer Paradee, Jim Williams and LK Weiss create original designs specifically for Belted Cow. At the warehouse store and headquarters in Cumberland, hundreds of colorful belt designs range from classic and nautical to quirky and bright, with some even containing secret messages. Belty the Cow, the company mascot, is also hidden in some designs in a Where’s Waldo-style search. Calling ribbon belts the company’s main product, Taylor says Belted Cow has experimented with hats, flip-flops, keychains and tote bags, but has found particular success with pet products. Hand-sewn in Cumberland, dog collars and leashes have become increasingly popular and some even come with matching belts for pet parents. Belted Cow also creates custom-branded ribbon for businesses, universities, yacht clubs and golf teams. Digital marketing and social media brought Belted Cow’s products to new customers and accelerated the company’s growth. According to Taylor, while Belted Cow typically experienced 5% to 10% revenue growth each year, it has seen 30% to 40% growth over the past four years. With seven full-time employees and subcontractors in Bangor and Lewiston, Taylor credits specific Maine business organizations that helped the company. “Maine businesses help Maine businesses. They helped us find solutions and said, ‘let’s make this work.’ I do not think we could have done this any place else,” Taylor explains. More than 20 years after founding Belted Cow, Taylor believes the company’s growth has come from updating the designs while keeping the basic belt the same. “Thirty years ago, kids were buying these belts, and they’re still buying them. Same for people in their 80s and 90s,” Taylor says. “The utility of just a simple webbing belt to hold your pants up has been around since the Boy Scouts, and we’ve adjusted how it looks and the designs, but it’s timeless.”