In a world of fast fashion and fleeting trends, Portland-based designer Bailey Renée is embracing a pace defined by slowness, stillness, and intention. Her namesake label, Bailey Renée, is a contemporary womenswear brand rooted in natural materials with heirloom quality, timeless silhouettes, and a strong sense of place.
“It all began in a tiny New York apartment during the height of the pandemic,” she says, describing the brand’s unexpected origin story. “I had nowhere to go but the local bodegas, and one day I picked up a bunch of avocados and started experimenting with natural dyeing.” The results—soft pinks from avocado skins, dyed onto blank hoodies and tees—quickly resonated. “I started posting the pieces online and people reached out asking to buy them,” she recalls. “I put together a very makeshift website, but as a trained designer, I felt pulled to take it further.”
That pull led her to a partnership with a natural house in India that eventually introduced her to a woman-owned sewing studio, where she began producing her own designs using botanically dyed fabrics and artisanal techniques. “They’re the ones who really helped me bring my designs to life,” she says. The growth of Bailey Renée has been slow and steady, much like the creative ethos at its core. “I didn’t have any grand business plan in mind. It was just a series of really small steps that grew into something bigger. It felt very kismet, but it was slow-burning—it took almost two years before anything came to fruition.” Eventually, what started as a personal outlet for Bailey took off as a full-time business.
Originally from a military family that moved every few years, Bailey found grounding in creativity from a young age. “Art and fashion became a way for me to process and reflect on what I was experiencing during a time when life felt like an ever-changing landscape,” she says. “It became a visual language, one that allowed me to express who I was when words no longer felt like enough.” After stints designing for LoveShackFancy and Coach, she left New York and eventually landed in Portland, which immediately felt like home. “When I got here, it just clicked,” she says. “There’s this quiet clarity in Maine, a rhythm that really influences how I design and live. Being surrounded by a community that values mindfulness, sustainability, and creativity has felt like a gift to me.”
Bailey’s quiet intention is especially evident in her capsule collections, often shot on the windswept shores of South Portland beaches. “I’m always looking for ease, longevity, and a quiet beauty in the things I make.” Capsule collections, she says, allow her to work at a softer, more intentional pace. “I’m not designing to meet a calendar. I’m designing when something feels ready to be shared.” Each piece goes through months of sampling and refinement, with some designs taking up to nine months to perfect. “The fit, the fabric, the feel on the body—it all has to align,” she says. “There’s often this moment of knowing, when I try something on and it just lands.”
Bailey’s home studio mirrors the calmness of her collections: white walls, sheer curtains, and oversized pinboards filled with sketches, fabric swatches, and inspiration. “I keep it minimal so I can build out the world of the collection as freely as possible,” she says. “And as the brand has grown, so has the studio. There’s a different energy now with stylists, collaborators, and interns coming in and out. It’s been fun to see it evolve.”
Mindfulness and sustainability are central to every decision Bailey makes. “Living slow is creating slow,” she says. “I’m thinking about care—for my partners, for the production process, for the longevity of each piece.” From working with small-batch artisans to using plant-based dyes, Bailey sees her work as a collaborative ecosystem. “It’s about building something that feels human and connected.”
Bailey recently launched her newest capsule, Growing Edges, featuring new silhouettes, hand-block printing from a multi-generational studio in India, and a fresh range of botanical hues. “It feels like a new chapter,” she says. And even her Spotify account is part of the brand’s storytelling. “I make a playlist for each collection,” she says, smiling. “I want people to feel something when they wear my clothes. Like when you hear the right song at the right moment.”
When asked what style means to her, she answers without hesitation: “Style is how you move through the world. It can be quiet or bold, but it’s always honest. It’s less about what you’re wearing and more about how you carry yourself.” Like her work, Bailey’s presence is calm, reflective, and full of intention. In a fashion landscape often dominated by noise, her quiet approach feels like a breath of fresh air.
Find Bailey Renée’s latest collection online at shopbaileyrenee.com, stocked at boutiques like Loom in Freeport and Maravilha on Peaks Island, and in pop-ups around Portland, Camden, and Rockland.
Art and fashion became a way for me to process and reflect on what I was experiencing during a time when life felt like an ever-changing landscape.
Style is how you move through the world—it’s less about what you’re wearing and more about how you carry yourself.