After the break-up, was there anything from your ex you just couldn't let go of? Perhaps an object you kept as a souvenir of sorts?
That is the exact question the Souvenir photo project, shot and conceived by photographer Sam Evans-Butler, is attempting to explore.
This project, archiving the stories of objects men still have from their ex-boyfriends, originally appeared in an issue of Hello Mr. magazine and is now being relaunched as a larger project for Valentine's Day. "When Sam pitched the idea to editor Ryan Fitzgibbon, the story really spoke to him because he himself had a 'souvenir' from his ex and felt that this was a story that would speak to a lot of people," Assistant Editor Francisco Tirado explained to BuzzFeed News. "In these simple stories, the series explores that peculiar fondness we feel for an object, despite the not-so-fond feelings we might not have for the person associated with it."
The Hello Mr. team is encouraging people to share their own souvenir stories using #YourSouvenir. The best of the best will be shared on their Instagram account.
Here are a few of the souvenir stories they have collected:
"Will, an editor, kept a flask that his ex engraved his initials on."
"Sam, snuck into his ex's apartment after the break up to drop off a box of stuff left behind, and left with his ex's favorite lighter. 'I don't know why, but I felt like I deserved it.'”
"Dylan, set designer. The only item that he has ever kept from a relationship was this t-shirt. They are no longer together, but the business carries on."
"Erol, small business owner, opened Kahve coffee shop with the man he was dating."
"Mark, furniture designer/builder, and his cat Amiga, who was a gift from the first guy he ever dated."
"Matthew, DJ, got a tattoo that his boyfriend paid for to commemorate their favorite song, 'I Found A Reason' by Cat Power."
"Adrian, stylist, found this drawing after his partner moved out. He’s not really sure if it was intended to be mean spirited."
"Paul, painter, stole these sunglasses from his boyfriend during a messy breakup, despite the fact that he didn’t like them."
Drew, chief creative officer: "I hung on to my ex-boyfriend's cape. He bought it, and I stole it. Capes are my signature look now. Haha."
"Jon Jon, DJ, kept this pop up card that was made for him as a gift."
"Dan, marketing, kept this framed DC Comics art even after he and his boyfriend broke up. Here, he bares it all."
