Bait’D Designs ensures style and spontaneity with functional, fashionable pieces like earrings and bracelets. Using luxurious metals and materials like suede and leather, they focus on sensory experiences integral to the BDSM world.
Founded in 2015 by Heather Huttner with Abigail Vasquez as the lead designer, Bait’D Designs offers a unique blend of luxury and liberation.
VIP Interview With Abigail Vasquez Lead Designer Of Bait’D Designs LLC
Abigail Vasquez, please tell us a bit about you
My name is Abigail (Abbie) Vasquez, I am the lead designer for Bait’D Designs LLC and my area of expertise is industrial design. All things product design and how a person interacts with an item.
What inspires you?
Unexpected sources like movies, music, and fiction inspire me beyond my usual mindset. I find my best ideas happen when I am not thinking about what I am working on. When stressed with a concept due for client review, I had nothing to show. I went out to go see the movie “Straight Outta Compton” and the moment I left the theatre, I had a spark of an idea that I rushed home to get sketched and put together for review.
What inspired the creation of Bait’D Designs?
Bait’D is the brain child of Heather Huttner. Noticing a gap between sex toys and jewelry, she founded the company in early 2015. Imagine a bondage belt so appealing you’d wear it publicly, ready for any occasion. She wanted to give women the opportunity to be spontaneously kinky if you wanted to be. I came on the team in June of 2015 leading the development of product for the brand.
Define the style of Bait’D Designs.
Bait’D Designs style is polished and covert. Essentially:
“Hiding in plain sight”
How does Bait’D Designs empower women to embrace their sexuality through kink and BDSM jewelry?
We want to encourage women to further explore their sexuality by taking the “seediness”out of BDSM and alternative sexuality. If a women is interested in flogging, she may already have or have access to a flogger but a woman who my just be starting out may find a flogger necklace to be less intimidating than a leather flogger and can experiment at home quietly or in her car the next time her and her partner are feeling frisky.
Why do the perceptions of BDSM, fetish and kink play need to be changed?
Maybe not “Changed” as further include lightness into the perception. We do not want “50 Shades of Grey” to be the only reference that comes to mind when someone says BDSM or kink. I don’t want the vision of women in pain and not enjoying themselves to be the idea that comes to mind for women who are curious or their partners who are curious but don’t know how to start the conversation. The great thing about KINK, FETISH and BDSM is that it supports and encourages open communication and trust. That is what I rather people think of when they think of BDSM.
How does Bait’D Designs change the perceptions of BDSM, fetish and kink play?
That it is not just for the bedroom, it is not just for being bedroom walls, it’s not just when it’s thoroughly planned out. That kink can be impromptu as well.
How can people feel empowered with confident and body positivity expressing their sexuality through fashion?
I find that a lot of women I know, use their fashion as an mode of self expression. And these women range in all degrees of confidence and body positivity. I do not believe what is worn on the outside of you can make an insecure woman confident. But I do believe is can be the nudge a normally confident woman needs to feel like a sexual animal and a goddess. Sometimes, our clothes, nails, hair, kicks, and accessories are just the nudges or the expression of what we already feel.
Wearing different jewellery can inspire different feelings in people. What feelings do people experience when they wear Bait’D Designs?
I have watched a woman adopted a very “power” stance when she puts on The Whip as she plans out what she wants to do with the jewelry. But more often than anything I see emotional or social walls come down when someone interacts with the items. The accessory equivalent to a glass of wine.
How would you recommend people wear Bait’D Design’s jewellery with day to day wear?
The same as you would with any of your other favorite items. Some items are more demure than others. Some make bigger statements. The Ring handcuffs look amazing with fall attire. The Female is beautiful with a little black dress.
What is the design process for the creation of Bait’D jewelry?
The design process is pretty extensive and depends greatly per piece. Generally it starts with an idea that Heather, myself or a member of our design team has… we then explore the idea via sketches and think thought any problems that we may have in advance. We make a CAD model to further visualize the design. If we are able to, we will create a 3D print with our in house 3D printer or if it’s something tiny and more detailed, I may send it out to a 3d printing company.
When we have the model done, we wear it, feel it, break it, and see what other problems we can prevent. We will then create a secondary model that will be as close to actual materials. If we still like the design we will then start having a conversation with the chosen manufacturer about making the item and following it closely thought that process until completion when the order is in our shop and ready for sell. We do a lot of usability testing as well, watching how strangers interact with the item, how a finish product is touched, or how it changes over time. There is no expectation that a product will remain the same over its lifetime.
What is your favourite part of the design process?
The start with the sketching and thing thought the ideas. I do love 3D modeling as well. However if I could donate the manufacturing process to someone else… I would so gladly. lol
Is there anything you would like to add?
Design is wear my heart is, fashion I am still learning but we have big ambitions and I look forward to seeing us grow!
Thank you very much for your time Abigail Vasquez and we look forward to seeing more from you in the future!
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