Bike Bayer is an artistic director-turned-accessory designer with an eye for all things Bauhaus. Read on for her thoughts on artistic legacy, taking inspiration from furniture, and all things digital strategy.
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The Gramlist: How did you end up starting the company?
Bike Bayer: So I was in advertising for a really long time, and I became more interested in creating product more than making branding and advertising for it and then I just kind of decided to go for it before it was too late before I was 35 and really sad.
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The Gramlist: And how would you describe the aesthetic of the brand in a couple of words?
Bike Bayer: It is very inspired by bauhaus as a movement, the design of the bags are really inspired by it, the color palettes are really inspired by it. The whole idea of having a very sleek, modular, multifunctional is very inspired by that idea, you know form and function coming together to create a piece of item and if you go to all of the visuals, that’s very inspired by the Bauhaus era of visuals. There’s a lot of Bauhaus Germany, that is kind of where it started from. Hm, what are some good buildings? I don’t know about the names, I’m more into furniture. So, all of the Bauhaus era furniture. You probably know of the Cesca chair, it’s very classic, it is the inspiration behind one of the bags. The shape of it is kind of where that came from. But the color palettes are very inspired by it.
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The Gramlist: Do you come from an artistic background? Are your parents “artsy”?
Bike Bayer: Well, I went to art school.I grew up in Istanbul, and I went to Pratt in Brooklyn. So I came here at 18 and I never left. And my grandfather is an architect, so I got really into it around that time because I basically grew up with them so he would be working and I would be drawing next to him. So when I said I wanted to go to art school, he said well you really can’t draw, so I don’t think you should go. But, I said, well now there are computers so I can draw so now he jokes about it a lot. I also go back very often for production stuff. My mom leads all of the production stuff so I have to talk to her on the phone everyday, so she’s having the time of her life.
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The Gramlist: Is her background in production?
Bike Bayer: No, she was an interior designer, she did that for a long time, so she is very used to dealing with all of the different vendors and contractors and all of that, so she is very good at getting them in line and whipping them into shape and all of that. And then, she was doing jewelry for a while, so she is very good at thinking of things three dimensionally, and understanding more about what’s doable and what’s not doable when you think about materials and vendors and if they show us previously done things, she can understand their skill levels almost better than I can because she comes from a more traditional design education when it comes to product and I am more of a two-D, photography, less product design education.
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The Gramlist: So, when you’re online and you’re thinking about the brand as collection of grids, what are you most cognizant of?
Bike Bayer: Well I think it’s important that it doesn’t just look silly, like these are things I make and the price and this and that. That, I think you do on your website, while Instagram is more of a platform where people can understand the thinking behind what you’re making, and the inspiration. It is almost like a little sneak peak into your brain via the form of small squares, so i think is the most important part to me, to get a sense of the larger picture of what inspires everything and if you’re buying into this brand, understanding what you’re buying into, more than just a cute bag.
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Gramlist: I love the herringbone kind of prints, it’s very difficult to pull off, but you guys do it very well. Do you run your own socials? Do you use a planning tool to post?
Bike Bayer: Thank you, I need to do a better job, I do it inconsistently. I do Iconosquare, which is helpful. It’s mostly just compiling it, I am trying to make it more of a system. Before, it would be a little all over the place, where I would see something I like then post it, but now I am trying to make it a more curated selection of things. I want it to be a place where you could also look for inspiration if you’re into that era of design.
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The Gramlist: Do you feel like you’re able to reach people, or do you feel like its driving sales or you’re getting more of an audience normally?
Bike Bayer: I think 80% of people come to the site from socials, which is huge. I get a lot of people who discover it on Instagram.
