Off The Clock With Bailey Salmon

Introducing Off The Clock With…: A new Remix series where we dive into the real people powering the fashion and marketing industries. Not always the front-facing influencers or CEO of businesses, but the behind-the-scenes heroes who shape what we see, wear, and scroll past daily. They might not always be building personal brands, but they’ve built platforms, whether they meant to or not.

First up? Bailey Salmon. If you haven’t heard the name, you’ve definitely seen the work. As part of the team at cult Kiwi fashion label RUBY, Bailey’s fingerprints are all over some of the most-loved moments in New Zealand fashion. Time to meet the person behind the TikToks.

What is your role at RUBY? Do you have any side hustles or passion projects you work on outside of work?

I’m the Brand Manager at RUBY, which means I manage our social media, press, influencer relationships, copywriting, activations and overall brand strategy. Outside of RUBY, I wouldn’t say I have any formal side hustles, but I do love working on creative projects with friends when time allows for it. A lot of my passion gets poured right back into RUBY, which is the best kind of hustle really.

Do you feel pressure to pursue your own personal brand through working on social media?

I’ve always approached this as more about the relationships I build in the industry rather than creating a personal online presence. Running the RUBY Instagram definitely scratches that creative itch, so I tend to keep things pretty low-key on my personal channels.

Is there anyone in the Industry you look at for inspiration?

I’m so lucky to work with a team of women who inspire me every day—the creativity that exists within the walls of our office is pretty amazing. My wider circle of friends in the industry constantly keep me inspired too, especially when it comes to style. Since stepping into my role, I’ve gained such a deeper appreciation for how fashion is communicated here in Aotearoa. There’s such a unique approach to how people bring their ideas to life.

How do you find the shift from influencer to employee-generated content and how do you apply this with the RUBY TikTok?

We’ve been talking a lot about EGC (employee-generated content) in the office lately. It’s been cool to see the growing interest in that space. We’re lucky to have such a charismatic team, so when the camera flips to them, it always feels really natural. Some of our best-performing content recently has been from our office TikTok's. Deanna, our Creative Director, walked through our RUBY Dough collection, and our General Manager, Em, changed up our usual RUBY Room format to share on TikTok our senior hiring callout or the announcement of our new RUBY Says Recycle store in Newmarket.

We also feature a lot of our in-store team on the gram and TikTok too. They’re the faces of RUBY in real life, so it only makes sense that they’re part of our online presence as well.

You know when someone is wearing RUBY. What is it like having a loyal community and what are the pressures that come with that?

It’s the coolest thing. We know we’re a recognisable brand in Aotearoa, and with that comes the responsibility to use our platform for more than just our product. Whether that’s who we feature, our approach to sizing, supporting the local industry, or speaking on issues that matter through projects like Toolbox or TBIYTC, we try to think deeply about the kind of impact we can have. That said, nothing beats seeing RUBY out in the wild. One of our top-performing posts ever was our RUBY Spotted at this year's Laneway and honestly, I feel like every time I leave the house now, I’ll spot a Matilda Cardigan. It’s really cool.

How do you stay on top of social trends and keep on top of your brand values?

We have a RUBY brand chat running across all the platforms we post on, and it’s constantly buzzing with ideas, inspo, and things we’ve seen that spark something. It’s not about jumping on every trend but about recognising what aligns with our values and figuring out how to make it our own through the RUBY lens. The balance of staying current while staying us is something we’re always talking about.

Once piece of advice you'd give to your younger self?
Don’t stress too much about having a five-year plan—just say yes to the things that feel exciting and figure it out as you go!