“Outer Banks” star Madison Bailey played three different characters in the Journeys “Turn It Up” back-to-school campaign, allowing her to explore various sides of herself in the process.
“It was fun to kind of dip into different pockets and different aspects of my style,” Bailey told FN. “I feel like my personal style ranges a lot, and so it was fun to play into that.”
The campaign featuring Bailey and more Gen Z stars, including Anna Cathcart, Sky Brown, Ocean Brown, Samara Cyn and Inji, is the newest chapter of Journeys’ Life on Loud platform, which celebrates experimentation, individuality and the journey of self-discovery.
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Reflecting on how the “Life on Loud” message resonates with her, Bailey said, “I just like the whole idea of celebrating taking up space. When I think ‘Life on Loud,’ I’m like, just be yourself, like at whatever volume that is, and I think that’s something that we should always celebrate and our own unique expression of that.”
Journeys is a mall staple, which Bailey is well aware of. Calling mall culture “so nostalgic now,” she affirmed the mall was a go-to hang out for her growing up and recalled begging her older sisters to take her.
If she were to pick out shoes at Journeys, Bailey knows what categories she’d gravitate toward — and there’s a certain hybrid silhouette she’s had on repeat as of late, thanks to the campaign.
“I’m more like a sneaker and boots kind of girl,” Bailey said. “Really Vans. I love Converse. I love Uggs. I’m obsessed with these Puma ballet flats. I’ve worn them since the shoot. I wore them yesterday. I’m literally obsessed with them.” Of the still-hot sneakerina trend, she said, “I love that everyone’s making their own versions, they’re all so cute.”
Bailey is still figuring out her personal style: “I think I’m still going on that journey. I think it’s happening every day, and like I wake up and dress for whatever mood or feeling. Whatever I put on has a tendency to reflect how I’m feeling on the inside, and so I just kind of go with the flow. I think that’s an everyday thing.”
The actress and up-and-coming musician has had a chameleonic style since her school days.
“I’ve always loved accessories, and I think it’s just matured,” she said of her fashion evolution. “I’ve always had a wide range. I think it’s always been one thing this day, one thing the next. I think it’s just elevated a lot. I can’t say I wear a lot of the outfits that I wore in high school.”
As for how her style differs from her character Kiara Carrera’s on “Outer Banks,” she said, “I didn’t grow up on the coast, so the surfer girl style was definitely new to me, and a huge part of me feeling like I’m really playing a character because our styles are very different. I’m a lot more feminine. I play in a girlier space, dressing up.”
But that’s not to say there’s no overlap between the two. Bailey has “taken a pair of shoes like every season,” including a pair of platform pink Vans her character briefly wore. Her favorite fashion moments of the whole show were in the first season — she loved Kiara’s headband era and the silky purple cowl neck dress she wore to the Midsummer ball.
The style of Kiara, or Kie as her friends address her, has shifted throughout the series, which will have its fifth and final season release on Netflix on Aug. 20.
“Season to season, it’s a conversation that we always have,” Bailey said of her character’s evolving wardrobe. “Like, well, what’s changed this year? Season two was a little more skater girl. Season three was a little bit more just random because we had come back from the island, more random pieces. Everything has evolved in season five. I think we see her at her most mature. I think we see actually all of the characters dressing a little older — more pants.”
On the series wrapping up, Bailey said, “It’s a bittersweet goodbye, but I’m really proud of everything that we’ve done in the last seven years. So we are sending it off in high spirits.”
“Outer Banks” hit Netflix in 2020 and launched Bailey and her costars to fame. Along the way, she dropped her first single “The Grey” in 2024, which was followed by a couple of other tracks. For her post-“Outer Banks” career, Bailey will continue to explore multiple artistic lanes.
As for what she’s looking forward to next, she said, “Anything, honestly. I’m super excited about the music stuff. Excited to play more characters and to continue to just grow as an actor and an artist.”
