Hypebeast Community Center: Bailey Goldberg

Give us your elevator pitch.

I’m a knitwear designer focusing on making the best beanies possible. My label is something I take extremely seriously while still trying to balance my inherent tendency to make everything a joke.

 

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The Five Ws

Who is wearing Bailey Goldberg?

Is it bad to say everyone? I think knitwear in general is one of the crafts that exists as a category that
everyone can find something in.

What is your brand’s main message?

I don’t know how tangible my message really is just based off the work, but I always see it as this mix of perfecting serious craft and care for garments with a silliness and reference to the things I love that make me who I am.

When did you launch your label?

For the longest time, I was just making things. I spent years doing everything made to order and strictly via DM, not making a website with open stock until I realized I had a news article coming out that would end up overwhelming my DMs. That could be considered a launch, but I personally consider my launch to be 2023 when Selfridges reached out about stocking my pieces. Before then, I hadn’t even put labels in my beanies. I’m not sure why I didn’t, but either way, my hand was forced, and it really helped me establish myself.

“Once I started knitting, it felt like all the puzzle pieces were finally in front of me and I could just put them into place.”

Where are people wearing Bailey Goldberg?

Glaciers, cafes, mountains, office jobs, PFW, crabbing, architecture jobsites, Texas in the summer — I have photographic evidence of all of these.

Why was the Bailey Goldberg brand created?

I guess it was always there, just in different formats. I was printing shirts at 13 and sewing by 15, but never felt like I had found my “thing.” Once I started knitting, it felt like all the puzzle pieces were finally in front of me and I could just put them into place.

About The Brand

When did knitwear design become a passion for you — and on top of that, an intended career path?

It really stemmed from being creatively drained in 2019 and desperately searching for a new outlet. I was toying with the idea of studying jewelry design when I stumbled upon an ’80s knit sweater with a big ILGWU (International Ladies Garment Workers Union) logo on the front. Their logo caught my eye and translated so well into knitwear that I couldn’t get it out of my head.

After not being able to find one for sale, I decided I’d just knit my own. I knew nothing about knitwear, let alone anything about actually knitting. I’d been making things with my hands long enough to know I’d go insane trying to learn knitting starting on that sweater, so I landed on a beanie. After a few renditions, I felt like I had knit the perfect beanie.

Sharing them online let me know that that resonated with other people, too. People kept asking for more and more of them, and that only made me want to make more and more AND MORE of them. I never did knit that ILGWU sweater, but it opened me up to this endless world of creativity and possibility within knitting. My good friend and borderline industry mentor Cody Parks eventually found one for sale on a street rack in Manhattan for me, though, so I can graciously say I do have one.

How would you define Bailey Goldberg’s style in your own words?

I struggle to separate my personal style from the brand’s, but I guess that means they go hand in hand. Comfort, utility, and uniqueness matter most to me. I want my closet, and in turn the pieces I make, to blend together perfectly with what’s already there while still standing out as special.

What do you think makes Bailey Goldberg stand out in today’s sea of emerging fashion brands?

There aren’t a lot of brands working on doing (mostly) one thing perfectly. After finalizing my beanie silhouette five years ago, I’ve only made a few very minor changes to it. Having a perfect canvas has let me focus all of my attention on perfecting my motifs and designs themselves. I also didn’t start this with the intention of having a brand. I just fell in love with knitting and have been letting that lead me. I think people can feel that even if it’s not explicitly known.

Bailey Goldberg is already building a strong visual identity. What role do campaigns—and the visual narratives you create around your clothing—play in the brand?

I found early on that giving myself a strict guideline of how to display work was really helpful in learning how to make the work itself look as good as possible. I wanted to control all the variables so I could drop new pieces in without having to worry. I’ve stayed rigid on that for so long that I’ve noticed myself designing beanies with the thought in the back of my mind — “Will this look how I want when held in the air or not?” As I’ve expanded out into releasing things like sweaters, I’ve tried to hold onto that concept while still letting it evolve in hopes of it never feeling too cookie-cutter.

What style codes or eras do you draw inspiration from?

Lately, I’m finding myself drawn to examples of industrial production knitwear ranging across the first half of the 1900s. I’m sure the designers and producers of the time wouldn’t say this, but I’ve found that much of their work (save the really early pieces) is well-fitting, well-made, and usually finished with one unique detail.

Without fail though, it always comes back to Sears. They made such an excess of clothing that there are piles and piles of bloat out there, but I never cease to find these gems of amazing design.

“I’m pushing to do as many sweaters as I can going forward.”

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced while building your brand?

All the “real” business practices are a constant challenge for me. Sitting myself down and knitting for 60 hours a week can feel effortless. I literally just sit down and do it, but coming up with brand strategy/production calendars/general administration work has never stopped being daunting.

Whose head would you most like to see your designs on?

Erykah Badu

What’s next for Bailey Goldberg?

I’m pushing to do as many sweaters as I can going forward. They feel a bit like a new frontier for me. I’ve explored beanies for so long and know them so intimately now that it’s been really refreshing to have a new canvas. They have a lot more space, which in turn gives me more room to stretch what’s possible, and that’s been pulling me in new directions.

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