Cincinnati-based artist and designer Shailah Maynard turned her artistic project into a full-time job when she launched the Working Girls brand. Specializing in ironic merchandise, her brand caters to the millennial aesthetic. Whether its a pair of socks tagged with the phrase “party girl” or a resin toilet seat with flowers, Maynard is here to fill your heart’s desire.
“Working Girls isn’t just one type of craft or product. The brand as a whole is a concept,” she told the Urban Outfitters blog. “It started as an art experiment. I had an idea for a line of pool floats in the shape of body parts, and I had to make the idea come to life. Once I got going, I found I had to buy a ton of them to hit the minimums so I built the brand around it. In addition to the products we sell, I’ve made a number of site-specific installations locally, and overseas.”
Inspired by ’80s and ’90s music, film, and pop-culture, she went on to explain: “the things that inspire me have always remained the same, but my style has definitely evolved over the years. I’ve done anything from printmaking to quilting to weaving… There will always be an undertone of satire, and female-forward thinking, because that is who I am. My focus now is mainly design and installation, but I love teaching myself new skills, so who knows what the next thing will be.”
Check out some of her merch in the gallery below.
