I've had a wonderful opportunity to interview the amazing shoe designer Tyler Bailey. The bio on his official website
(tylerbaileydesignstudio.com) reads as follows;
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Tyler Bailey has made signature shoeprints on the fashion industry walk of fame. Having an eye for fresh and innovative designs, Tyler Bailey’s sketches have tapped into every woman’s shoe fantasy, bringing them to life. There’s not a woman on the planet that wouldn’t seize the moment in appealing from head to toe when walking into a room. Tyler Bailey will bring out the confidence as she strides from her shoe dream into reality. After launching “Tyler Bailey Designs” in December 2010, celebrity clients have graced the red carpet, turning heads, commanding the attention of the masses with Tyler’s creative direction. Being humble in his talent designing custom shoes for the general public, Tyler maintains exclusivity in his brand by giving each customer a personalized out of this world high fashion shoe experience. With an impressive celebrity client list, under his soles, Kim Zolciak of the “Real House Wives of Atlanta”, being a recent. This young designer has stolen the hearts of many Cinderella’s in search of the ultimate glass slipper. Kandi Burruss of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Tameka Raymaond, Toya Wright of BET's Toya and Tiny show , Somaya Reece and the entire cast of VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop” also recently experienced the magic of Tyler’s creativity and personal touch. This past spring, “Paint the Town Fashion Affair” hosted by Tyler and his dynamic team, set Atlanta, GA ablaze and models extinguished the fire in style. As more opportunities are presented, Tyler Bailey has risen to the occasion. It’s said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, however, in Tyler Bailey’s world, the right pair of shoes will forever be her companion. This Is...Tyler Bailey Design Studio.
Tyler is an incredibly hard worker, always striving for the best and was such a pleasure for me to be able to do a feature on his work. I wanted to know a little bit more about his inspirations, design ideas and more about him so I prepared a few questions to pick Tylers brain a bit...
Where/what do you mainly draw your inspirations from? This may sound a little left field to some, But I love to draw inspiration from interior decor. I love to pull up photo's of beautiful restaurants, hotel lobbies, homes etc. I just imagine a woman walking in room on the photo. I try to imagine what her shoes look like entering that room. The colors, the mood and style of the decor plays into the design of the shoes I see entering the room. That's best I can explain it. lol
What draws you towards creating shoes, in particular? I love the relationship between a woman and her shoes. How the height of the heel completely turns her into a different woman. Physically by changing the silhouette of her body; and mentally with the enhance of confidence she gains. For that reason, she loves; and the perfect shoe never lets her down. Some what of a love story and I love playing to role of cupid between the two.
Have you ever considered designing other accessories, such as handbags? If not, would you? Yes I have plans to expand into handbags and other accessories. I have many design ideas for that now, but my focus is geared toward the shoes at the moment.
How do you make someones dream shoe come true?Well it starts with the idea if the client. Their favorite colors, cuts, heel heights, materials etc. What I do is take those specs and go into a zone of my own. I play with different ideas via sketching. Once done, I send to the client to approve. After clients approval, I proceed to bring the sketch to life.
If you had to choose, which would be your favorite shoe you've designed so far? I have many designs. Many of which I have not posted to the public. But I have to say the leopard pump is my favorite. Because it is my first design ever. The reason I had the confidence to leave my previous career and pursue this full time. It will always be my favorite.
What is your view of the fashion industry (as a whole) in Atlanta? Anything you particularly love or wish you could change?One thing that I do love about Atlanta fashion is that it is a melting pot of people from everywhere. So you get to see a very diverse collage of fashion styles. I would not change a thing.
If you can, share with us a few of your most proud moments from your journey in the design world so far? One of my most proud moments is when my mom and dad saw me come down the runway for the first time. The smile on their faces was priceless. Another one was to see my work on national television and national magazine for the first time. To have celebrities wearing my designs and a number of client's loving what I do, makes me proud daily.
Who would be your dream client? (be it the type of individual or certain celebrities)Client's like Eva Mendes, Rihanna, Heidi Klum, Beyonce etc. Just to have my work on the some of the most glamorous feet in the world.
You are such a hard worker, do you ever get a little spare time for yourself? If and when you do, how do you like to spend that time?I rarely ever get any spare time as of now. But this is the building stage of my brand, so I do not mine. My previous career as a merchant seaman prepared me for this point, being that I was confined to a ship for long periods of time. So working hard, lack of sleep and being stationary comes natural.
follow Tyler on twitter @ItsTylerBailey.Tyler is such a phenomenal shoe designer, but along with that he's also such a passionate and hard worker, which it is truly inspiring to me. Currently Tyler is taking 100 pre-orders for the shoe 'Black Beauty' (above) and I strongly suggest putting an order in... This is such a chic, glamorous shoe with that extra punch of edge with the spikes. I think it's only a matter of time before every shoe on the red carpet is a Tyler Bailey design, there is so much to come for this talented young man so take note because he is here to stay!
