West+Melo

Strong and Soft – West+Melo

Accessories & Models from West+Melo | Photography by Ebony Davis @ebony__davis | Set by Daytona Homes (@daytonahomesyeg) | Published by @the_issuemagazine

Edmonton-based self care & lifestyle brand, West+Melo, features easy to use products with simple ingredients that aim to inspire users to treat themselves. West+Melo founder, Bailey Teschuk, shares her story in ideating, creating, and running the brand, which includes a variety of products from jewelry, to self-care products and home goods.

Growing up in small town Kingston, Ontario as the daughter of a teen mother, the creator of West+Melo describes her upbringing as somewhat unconventional. “We moved around a lot when I was growing up so I found comfort in being creative and as child.” She would often fantasize about being a little fashion designer or shop owner, selling products from her make-believe business to her neighbours by going door-to-door.

The Journey to Start West+Melo

In addition to growing up obsessed with fashion and business, many steps were needed for the conception of West+Melo. The brand founder landed her first professional job in retail for a large Canadian fashion brand, where she learned first-hand about merchandising, customer service and management. As she leveled up through the company, she eventually oversaw 7 locations, helping her learn about organizational structure and communication. Unfortunately, like many others, the company shut down during Covid, forcing her to look inward on what she really wanted to do for herself and her future.

 “I knew I had the tools and skill set to do something on my own, which gave me a lot of comfort moving forward.”

Once the idea of starting West+Melo was brewing, Bailey was very attracted to being able to do something completely on her own terms and her own pace, with creative control.

 “I manage my business day-by-day and by making changes as I go, I love to pivot and try new things without stressing myself out. Customers also appreciate that we are always changing and trying new things. Being hard on yourself to stay in the box due to an initial idea holds you back and stops you from evolving.”

Bailey envisioned a name for the brand that was strong, but soft too— girly, but not too girly. “Something super chill [and] super mellow” was the mantra Bailey kept ruminating as she brainstormed what could capture that. It was a stroke of inspiration when West+Melo came to her— adjusting the spelling of ‘mellow’ to balance the look!

Accessories & Models from West+Melo | Photography by Ebony Davis @ebony__davis | Set by Daytona Homes (@daytonahomesyeg) | Published by @the_issuemagazine

The Vision Behind West+Melo

“My vision with West+Melo is always to inspire!”

West+Melo is conceived as a place that inspires its shoppers to show themselves love and take in little moments when you can treat yourself. Catering to girls and women of all ages makes the line perfect for everyone— particularly those who love trends, effortless style, and self-care. West+Melo hopes to bring together the girls that like to do little things throughout the day that make them feel special.

While there were many inspirations behind the conception of the brand, the primary influence is the mellowness of the 90s aesthetic. Pink, but in a way that’s not too obnoxious; the off duty, girl next door look. West+Melo finds inspiration in their customers and the amazing crew of girls that make West+Melo a reality like her brand ambassador Alissa who has become the face of West+Melo. Bailey loves the New York loft style with unfinished spaces and cozy decorations… the vision is ultimately a clean and simple aesthetic with pops of girliness and pink accents.

 “We have enough critics in this world, we don’t need to be our own.”

West+Melo is designed to be a place where all girls and women can feel special, wanted and worthy.

Accessories & Models from West+Melo | Photography by Ebony Davis @ebony__davis | Set by Daytona Homes (@daytonahomesyeg) | Published by @the_issuemagazine

Navigating the Industry as a Business Owner

Bailey describes the Edmonton fashion industry as something business owners in the field should be aware of.

 “Trends come and go, so identifying what is timeless about your brand and how to keep up with the ever-changing fashion landscape is very important.”

In addition, she recommends always keeping your brand’s target market in mind when creating products or executing marketing. Stay consistent in tailoring everything to your target audience, and once they’ve been reached, remember that they deserve the best experience!

 “Practice customer service. Show up and make an effort when attending a market or working your store front. Put your phone down. Stand up and engage. Smile! If you’ve put in all this hard work to bring your brand to life and drop it at the final step of business, customer service, it’s all for nothing.”

Accessories & Models from West+Melo | Photography by Ebony Davis @ebony__davis | Set by Daytona Homes (@daytonahomesyeg) | Published by @the_issuemagazine

 On the personal front, practicing work-life balance has been a challenge for Bailey. The owner admits that her passion for the business has led her to work many long hours. “It’s hard to disconnect when it doesn’t feel like work,” she says. Her recommendation for maintaining work-life balance is turning off social media notifications during off-time. Additionally, a practice that has helped her is making products in bigger batches, helping to keep West+Melo stocked up for up to a month, while smaller batches needed her constant attention every few days.

 “My best advice [to someone starting a small business] would be to do it at your own pace. There is no timeline or expectations. The main objective in the beginning is keeping the creativity going, without letting your business become daunting.

Be open to trying new things; pivoting and adapting as you go. If something doesn’t work, know when to switch it up.”

She strongly believes that everything happens for a reason. When starting out, Bailey was at a point in her career where things felt like they were crashing down around her. She now recognizes that it was so she could build something better. She wholly stands behind the quote: “Sometimes good things fall apart, so better things can fall together.”

What’s On The Go For West+Melo?

“I wanted to be in a cute market at a mall, and wanted to be around other brands that valued the same things like customer service, merchandising, branding so I started my own!”

West+Melo partnered with Hailey, an avid events organizer around Edmonton, to create Malla MRKT at Kingsway Mall. Vendors at Malla MRKT are curated to make sure customers learn that they value quality and experience. A collective boutique pop up, Bailey and Hailey hope to see Malla evolve into a roster of returning vendors.

West+Melo is also collaborating with Ree Ree Ceramics, an Edmonton-based pottery maker with an undone trendy ceramic look in random household objects. Wanting to add ceramics to the West+Melo site, Bailey scoured Instagram and saw a perfect fit in Ree Ree Ceramics. Shot glasses by Ree Ree are often hard to keep in stock due to how popular in demand they are.

Some of her personal favourites by West+Melo this season include 90s and 2000s styles in jewelry, as it allowed her to take things she loved as a child and bring them back as more sophisticated and mature pieces. Other favourites close to her heart include any pieces incorporating butterflies and astrology; designs that are simplistic and can be worn all day – effortless and dainty.

Accessories & Models from West+Melo | Photography by Ebony Davis @ebony__davis | Set by Daytona Homes (@daytonahomesyeg) | Published by @the_issuemagazine

What’s Next?

The biggest goal for West+Melo’s founder is to have a retail space for the store, a welcoming boutique filled with beautiful items. The hope is to branch out further into areas like fashion, home goods, accessories and more.

“I want to have the full brand experience, from creating products to selling them myself. I love meeting my customers and getting to know what they like. I’ve been able to pivot and evolve so much faster getting to be a part of the customers’ experience shopping my line.”

To shop West+Melo (@westandmelo), you can visit their website at https://www.westandmelo.com/. For the full customer experience, you can visit West+Melo in person at the Malla MRKT Pop Up in Kingsway Mall (@mallamrkt), GP Makeup in St Albert (@gpmakeup) and at Shop Harrow (@shopharrow) in West Edmonton Mall.