BARE BY BAYLIE
There are branding sessions, and then there are branding sessions where someone basically hands me the words “Pilates meets grunge” and gives me permission to make it weird. Obviously, I was in.
Baylie is the human behind Bare by Baylie, a Pilates and wellness brand that feels a whole lot less like the perfectly polished version of wellness we’re used to seeing and a whole lot more like an actual person. Bare came from Baylie falling in love not only with movement, but with the feeling of group fitness — a room full of people showing up together, leaving everything on the mat for an hour, and walking away feeling a little different than when they came in. And that philosophy is basically the heartbeat behind everything she’s building. Her words for it are “wellness for weirdos. wellness for all.” Bare is for the bold, the old, the people who got picked last in gym class, new moms who need a damn break, couples, besties, dads — anybody trying to invest in themselves.
Which also meant these photos couldn't feel like generic fitness branding. We wanted something a little gritty, a little editorial, a little fashion-y and still completely approachable. We mixed Pilates props with an old TV, books, jewelry, layered outfits, bare feet, harsh little pockets of sunlight and poses that felt more like something ripped out of a magazine than your standard fitness campaign.
Bare is about feeling good in your body and your brain. It’s about taking up space. It’s about movement that feels like something you get to do instead of something you're supposed to punish yourself with. And maybe my favorite part: Baylie said she wants people to leave Bare feeling the way she feels after a concert — scream-singing with strangers, jumping around, and experiencing that weird little temporary connection with everyone in the room. She wants it to feel like a deep conversation with your best friend: connected instead of performative, transformational instead of transactional.
THAT is the kind of information I want before a branding session. Not just “What colors do you like?” but what does your business feel like? Who does it belong to? What do you want somebody to feel when they encounter it? Because once we know that, we can make photos that actually look like your business.
Baylie said that ultimately, she hopes Bare can be a place where something starts to change for people — whether that's a deeper connection to themselves, permission to evolve, or simply the confidence to take up a little more space. And I don't know. I think these photos look like someone taking up some damn space.
