Today I am interviewing the incredible wedding dress designer and total girl boss, Hayley Paige. Hayley openly shares about her journey as a designer who you’ve likely seen on a little show called Say Yes to the Dress. She shares how she stays inspired, what she loves most about her brides, and the experience that she has added along with her one of kind garments.
Please note: Hayley didn’t have a computer near by so we had to record out girl talk on the telephone! While the sound quality isn’t as awesome – this interview will NOT disappoint!
SHOW NOTES
In addition to her Hayley Paige brand, she also has products at a lower price point, specialty ware, exclusive pieces and much more. All of her dresses are made in the United States (New York City) and they’re in over 150 stores nationwide, as well as expanding internationally (1:05).
Hayley launched her company in 2011 after working with another company in the industry. The line she designed for them never came to fruition due to that company filing bankruptcy, which opened a void in the marketplace for Hayley to launch her own brand (2:40).
She knew that girls were looking for something unique and not just “run of the mill” (4:00).
“I just always kind of tapped into an aesthetic that was a little bit fashion-forward, but quirky and had a hint of charm” (4:16).
She says when she realized she had excitement and a positive response coming from the industry, it made her want to keep delivering and to “dazzle” her customers (7:20).
“There’s no better validation than just seeing a bride in her moment and being so excited by it” (7:37)
Hayley’s work gives her a never-ending opportunity to have fun and keep executing on the vision that she believes in. She travels often for wedding shows because she feels it’s important to truly understand her demographic (8:05).
Consistency with social media and constantly staying on top of what customers are looking for allows her to keep ahead of other brands (9:10).
“If you’re going to fail, fail forward, because you’re still moving the ball” (9:57)
Hayley shares that creating a brand is more than just making products, it’s about creating an energy that people can feel connected to and excited by (10:15).
“I think it’s important as our customer is growing, to keep growing as a brand” (10:55)
She credits a good part of her success to being a gymnast growing up, as many of the most valuable skills she has learned have been gained from this experience (13:15).
“Just like you put yourself into different events in gymnastics, you have to wear different hats and put yourself in different situations in business” (16:07)
Hayley also feels that delegating is one of the most underrated parts of running a business and she has a number of assistants that are passionate about the work they do (18:34).
She admits that she didn’t put pressure on herself when designing her own wedding dress, which made it easy. It’s a message that she gives to the brides she works with, because no matter what, the styles and trends are going to change year-to-year (22:47).
Her ideal bride is hard to describe, because a big part of designing wedding dresses is knowing that every single girl will be different (28:13).
“You’re constantly going to be meeting somebody that brings something new to the table” (28:45)
Hayley realizes that ultimately you have to have a personal life to go along with your professional one. Her husband allows her to be silly and not take things so seriously, which helps give her this balance (33:00).
Her goals is to have a connection with her clients beyond just that one day for their wedding and she thinks that you should see the beauty in your entire marriage (35:30).
She is amazed by how much excitement social media has brought to the wedding industry as a whole, and her brides are the ones that should be celebrated as they have made her brand what it is today (40:30).
Hayley is excited for 2017, not only the opportunity to present the new collections but she’s also involved in film and television projects, as well as projects outside of bridal dresses (42:41).
