When Ello launched as the new kid on the social networking block, announcing it’s offer of a completely ad-free platform for users, the one question that lingered was how the company would make money. The answer is, selling t-shirts.

Ello recently announced a partnership with Chicago-based online t-shirt artist community, Threadless, to launch the Ello x Threadless shop which sells unique t-shirts designed by artists featured on Threadless for limited periods of up to 14 days.

The Ello x Threadless shop features simplistic designs for both men and women and they don’t come cheap, prices for the first set of t-shirts are $25 (around R260) and $35 (around R350).

The t-shirt shop venture may suggest that Ello’s original plan to sell special features offered to users as a way to make money may not be working out so well for the company, but is selling t-shirt likely to generate the money it needs to stay afloat and compete with giants such as Facebook and Twitter? That remains to be seen.

[Source – The Next Web, image – Ello x Threadless]