Austinites wanting to embrace their wild side have the opportunity to take it down to the studs, thanks to one Dallas-based high-end jewelry shop and piercing concept that has designs on the Austin market.
Wildlike, which “marries the rough edge of tattoo culture with designer jewelry and fashion,” will host a pop-up in Austin for one day only, on Saturday, January 29, and offer a slick variety of piercing studs, hoops, and other jewelry during the limited activation.
In an effort to manage crowd control — because what cool Austinite doesn’t want to get their hands on some bitchin’ ear candy? — Wildlike is requiring that locals RSVP for the Austin pop-up by direct messaging the brand on Instagram, at which point the company will provide the secret pop-up location.
In terms of what Austinites can expect from the pop-up, Wildlike founder Alysa Teichman (whose family founded the 37-year-old jewelry brand Ylang 23 in Dallas, by the way), says the local activation will evoke the same upscale yet sassy mood of the Wildlike Dallas shop.
“We worked hard to create the same elevated yet slightly edgy vibe as our brick-and-mortar space in Dallas,” Teichman tells CultureMap. “We are even recreating a version of the beautiful hand-painted mural we have in our store. The activation will feature some surprises, too.”
Though an impressive selection of Wildlike’s designer jewelry will be on display at the Austin pop-up, Teichman notes that only ear-piercing services will be available, as the company has wisely suspended “under mask” piercings for the time being because of COVID concerns. But anyone in Austin older than 10 who needs another hole in their head is welcome. (Note: Minors must present a birth certificate and show up with a guardian to get pierced.)
As Teichman looks to expand the reach of the brand, which she founded in 2020, she’s scouting for future Wildlike locations in New York, Miami, and LA, and considering Atlanta, Nashville — and, yes — even Austin for new stores, with the pop-up being a good way to gauge local interest.
“Wildlike is made for Austin,” says Teichman, who has 16 ear piercings herself. “We cater to everyone on the spectrum from ‘wild to like,’ and Austin, with its ever-evolving landscape, is the perfect place for us to land and hit the ground running. We especially love the mix of original Austinites, tech transplants, students, and tourists.”
When questioned about opening a Wildlike brick-and-mortar shop in Austin, Teichman offers up a not-so-wild response.
“It’s definitely on our vision board,” she says.
We’ll keep our ears to the ground for updates.
Wildlike is bringing the bling to Austin.
