Courtesy of Hunter and Logan BaileyWith its diverse and heavenly landscapes, rich cultural traditions and cosmopolitan range of inhabitants, it’s little wonder Bali possesses the ability to trigger creativity and lofty aspirations in so many of its visitors.
For Texas-born, Los Angeles based brothers, Hunter and Logan Bailey, this is just what happened during their 2006 visit to Indonesia.
Fashion model Hunter and media concept designer Logan wanted to develop a business together and not only fulfill their ambitions of becoming their own bosses, but also, of being able to travel and experience the wider world.
A week-long vacation in Bali transformed itself into a year-long adventure, and with this, came the birth of a very successful business idea.
It was the prolific design, production and trade of silver on the island that planted the seed of ambition.
“When we came to Bali and saw the silver industry for ourselves, it was the first thing that came to mind,” says Hunter.
“With Logan’s background in design and my background in the fashion industry, jewelry design seemed the logical step. During the years I was modeling in America, I became fascinated most with accessories and the power they had to change the whole look of an outfit. Men’s jewellery had always seemed difficult to find however — it was either too old-fashioned or too commercial, and so we found our niche in the market.”
And so Bali became the catalyst that transformed the pair’s life.
“It wasn’t so much the traditional jewelry here that inspired our first designs,” Logan comments, “but more the free-spirited culture. Many people from all over the world seem to find this place equally motivating; we’ve noticed so many cool design labels coming out of Bali and other parts of Indonesia too, including Jakarta. People seem to come here to do what they love. It’s really transformed our outlook on life.”
Of course, if being an entrepreneur was easy, everybody would be taking a shot at it. There have been many obstacles along the way, including the quality of production, which can be a major setback for two people who consider themselves to be perfectionists.
“Our standards for quality are extremely high and we tested many factories before we found the best one.
“Initially, everything was hand-carved for us in Bali,” Hunter tells us, “but later, we moved to using 3D CAD renderings and model production. Much of our collection still includes pieces formed from the original wax carvings created for us in Bali, however.”
Anybody with brothers or sisters themselves could not be blamed for wondering how smoothly a brotherly business partnership runs.
Is there no sibling rivalry there?! As the Bailey boys tactfully put it, “We are very different and similar at the same time, which actually helps us to run the business. We definitely challenge each other constantly! Yet we compliment each other in equal measures should one of us come up with a great idea!”
And this, it seems, has been the driving force of the brothers’ productivity. Not only are they now selling pieces to stores in fashion-conscious locations such as Los Angeles, but they have seized the attention of a number of Hollywood stars and global musicians, such as Alice in Chains, Jet, Dan Black and Muse, to name but a few.
Last year, some of the collection was featured in an editorial shoot for men’s Italian Vogue no less, where it graced the pages on the body of Hollywood A-lister, Tobey Maguire, of Spiderman, Seabiscuit and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas fame.
The collection itself is superlatively cool.
Described as ‘fashion forward’ and ‘a fusion of street fashion with luxury’, the jewelry is contemporary, yet oozes with notes of retro funk. Some of the most popular pieces amongst their various collections include pendants with a musical theme, such as the turntable and cassette player pendants.
There is something about these two designs in particular that are reminiscent of British dance artist Calvin Harris’ dance floor rocking track, Acceptable in the Eighties; Calvin Harris himself, incidentally, is yet another famous face to have been spotted adorned in the Bailey brothers’ accessories.
Asked how the success they have had so far makes them feel, a modest yet positive response is given.
“It’s still early and we are only just launching the brand right now. Most of our ideas have been generated from constantly discussing ‘what if...’ We’ll see what happens next: so just watch this space!”
After a glittering Los Angeles launch party, held at the Lisa Kline store on October 28 last year, the Hunter and Logan website, hunterandlogan.com, is now live and features all of the ranges available. Meanwhile, what’s in store for the boys themselves?
“We’ll be returning to Indonesia, hopefully in March, for some more inspiration,” they say.
“Our men’s collection is available now from hunterandlogan.com, so our women’s range is just waiting to be designed.
Mixing with so many different people and being surrounded by so much artistic talent in Indonesia will no doubt get the creative juices flowing once more.”
