Ten Minutes with Sierra Bailey of Manic Trout

 I’m not one to gossip, girl, but something fishy’s been happening on Gossip Girl, if by fishy you mean Jessica  Szohr’s been rocking some Manic Trout jewelry as her alter ego Vanessa Abrams. Handcrafted by Sierra Bailey, this collection of earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets has that vintage downtowny vibe that even uptown girls can’t get enough of. Try a different pair of Sweetest Things earrings every day of the week, or get all Grey Gardens-y with one of the Venus in Furs necklaces stitched from Sierra’s stash of designer scarves. I guarantee you this is one secret you’ll definitely want to share! Read on to learn more about this dish-worthy designer.

Oligoville: In five words or less, Manic Trout is. . .

Sierra: Fresh, fashionable, funky, fun and fabulous! (I really dig alliteration!)

Oligoville: How would you describe your ideal customer?

Sierra: Girls who use jewelry to add punch to their outfits and regular shoppers who come back often!

Oligoville: How’d you end up a designer?

Sierra: I have wanted to be a designer of some sort since I was a very little girl.  I went to architecture school before art school and obtaining my BFA.  I took every type of design course I possibly could except, ironically, in jewelry. As a hobby I designed and made my own jewelry, which I started doing in middle school. In college I sold some stuff to friends, mainly for fun.  I actually never thought I would end up as a professional jewelry designer; it was always more of a passion on the side. Then one day I realized that it was that passion which made my jewelry so sought after, so I made the decision to focus on it.

Oligoville: How/when did you launch your brand?

Sierra: I began Manic Trout in 2003 as an umbrella company for a wide range of design [activities]: web site design, photo restoration, paintings, and jewelry were the main aspects.  As I learned more about business I realized I should focus on one area, and, as jewelry was what I was the most passionate about, I decided in January of 2006 to ditch all of the other stuff, build an online store, and jump right in. Within a year I was contacted by the local newspaper to do a video and print interview about local designers who used the internet to sell their wares, and I realized then that I had made the right decision.

Oligoville: Where’d you get the idea for the scarf necklaces, and how do you make them?

Sierra: I love vintage clothes and accessories and have been an avid collector my entire life.  My father’s side of the family all live in New Hampshire, in the heart of antique alley and are passionate about collecting. A few years ago my dad stumbled upon a stash of awesome vintage designer silk scarves that he thought I would love to use for something. I really enjoy repurposing vintage materials and, as I had great success turning chandelier crystals and buttons into rings, I was intrigued to see what I could come up with. Many of the small scarves had small tears from age, but I kept them, knowing that I could do something to salvage them. Every so often I would get them out and play around with them and then one day last August I decided to take the plunge, cut one apart, and experiment.  Within minutes I had it smushed up and sewed it up on the sewing machine, and the concept was born. I stitched a few together, added a ribbon, and I was in love!

Oligoville: Who and/or what inspires you?

Sierra: I am a horrible photographer. Lots of photoshopping has to be done with any photo I take, so naturally I am obsessed with other people’s photographs. I have inspiration boards covered with photos and magazine pages all over my studio. Color is a huge inspiration and art and design, such as fashion, architecture, and paintings, play a bug role in my sketchbooks. Nature is up there on the list too. I live in the Hudson Valley region of New York and spend a ton of time outside snapping bad photos and enjoying the natural beauty of the area. Being influenced by nature has to be pretty obvious as I named my business after a fish!

Oligoville: What’s 24 hours like in your life?

Sierra: I typically wake up around 10, walk and feed my dog, and make coffee and breakfast, which I eat at my desk while I check e-mail and all of my online accounts such as forums I contribute to, Etsy, and Smashing Darling.

My assistant arrives at 11, and I work at my desk on computer work such as correspondence, photo editing, and paperwork for the afternoon.  My intern arrives around 3:30 and if there is a project that is better for us all to work on at once we do that, such as photographing jewelry. If not, we all work on individual tasks such as labels or orders.

After the staff leaves at 6 I usually take a break to work out, take my dog for a long walk, and eat dinner. Evenings I design and make jewelry or, if I am about to release a new line or doing a web update, I’ll work on that until about two a.m.I then get into bed and read for about an hour to unwind from the day, and then its finally off to sleep!

Oligoville: What’s in your closet? What are you wearing right now?

Sierra: I tend to wear a “uniform,” which in the summer is a full and flowery skirt with a white tank top and in the winter is skinny jeans with a t-shirt and cute little blazer. I only wear Manic Trout jewelry and switch it up with whatever is new—recently loads of Critters, Bling Rings, and Sweetest Thing Earrings.  Right now I am wearing dark wash skinny jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt with a shrunken brown tweed blazer, tweed pointy toe flats, the Hard to Concentrate Necklace, Arabella Bling Ring in Gold. and Adria Sweetest Thing Earrings.

Oligoville: What’s in your bag (or backpack or satchel) right now?

Sierra: I am carrying a fantastic hobo bag right now from Kooba in iced lilac with gold accents. I usually have my wallet (a continental black Ferragamo that I love so much that I blogged about it!), two pairs of Sunglasses—gold Ray Ban Aviators and really big round brown Pradas—Burts Beezwax, Clinique Juicy Apple lip gloss, my Blackberry, a moleskin notebook, bags to clean up after my dog, and a very small digital camera.

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned.

Sierra: I have never taken out a loan or had debt for Manic Trout; it is completely self financed. This has been very difficult at times when sales are low and the need to buy materials is high, specifically in August when the internet is abandoned for the beach and I have to buy materials for the holiday line.

It’s also incredibly difficult and scary to have to make the big decisions on your own. When I first hired my publicist I was basically called an idiot by everyone in my life, but it was not a decision I made lightly. I had weighed the pros and cons and went with my gut, knowing that press was not about the immediate sales, but about the future of my brand and worth the investment.  There were many months when I paid my publicist more then I made in sales, but I feel it is worth every penny!

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Sierra: A month or so ago there was an article written about the town I live in that focused on shopping and dining. The author had visited the town to research and gave a highlight of a handful of the great little shops in the village. She must have visited the website for the town, which has a link to my site because she wrote an entire paragraph about Manic Trout and how essential it was to visit online even though I do not have a physical shop. I was so honored to be known as an important part of the community; it made my whole month!

I also LOVED to see my jewelry on Gossip Girl. I kept saying “I designed and made the jewelry on that girl; that is so unbelievably surreal!!!”

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years.
Sierra: I am looking to expand my wholesale accounts to a larger spectrum such as catalogue and department stores in the next two years.  In five years I am looking to have a staff that makes all of the jewelry, leaving me to focus on design and the business aspects.

Oligoville: Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Sierra: Don’t try to do it all: focus on the skills you have and hire people for the areas you are weak in or in which the work can be done less expensively by others.

Oligoville: What’s on your playlist right now?

Sierra: I love to make playlists. I was big into mixed tapes back in the day so I get really into them. My current playlist is made up of: “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” – The Velvet Underground; “Wake Up” – Arcade Fire; “No You Girls” – Franz Ferdinand; “A-Punk” – Vampire Weekend; “Always Where I Need To Be” – The Kooks; “Move You” – Anya Marina; “My Boy Builds a Coffin” – Florence and The Machine; “Joy Ride” – The Killers; “Goin’ Against Your Mind” – Built To Spill; “Knockin’ On Heavens Door” – Bob Dylan; “Rocket Man” – My Morning Jacket; “Take On Me” – Sara Bareilles; “Strange Overtones” – David Byrne & Brian Eno; and “Metal Heart” – Cat Power.

Oligoville: Any last words?

Sierra: Follow your heart to do what you are passionate about. You can accomplish anything with hard work, focus, and determination.