Violet Vixen has been around since 2012. The founder, Violet Vixen herself, was a burlesque dancer and blogger. She had trouble finding corsets and costume pieces that were high-quality and unique, so she decided to start her own online shop selling the very things she needed in her own performances. She searched until she found a manufacturer making the highest quality corsets in the world. She had to have the best. Even today, the Violet Vixen brand corsets are always steel-boned, rust-proof and made with the highest-quality fabrics. They are corsets that are designed to be worn for years and witness hundreds of show nights and spotlights. They are made with the performer in mind. Instead of standard sizes, there is a new size every 2 inches, so the wearer can find an EXACT fit.

    From there, a community grew around her. Turns out, there were a lot of people that needed high-quality corsets and accessories and loved to support her, with her vibrant personality and badass attitude. A thriving community of performers, creators, and alternative people was forged, and the Vixens became her main focus. She leaned on her Vixen family and loved the conversations that were happening on the Violet Vixen Facebook page.  She listened to what they needed and did what she could to provide it. Violet filled her shop with more than the corsets that made her legend, but also with jewelry, lingerie, costume pieces and performance-worthy shoes.

    Over time, Violet Vixen has expanded to include all the fashions and home goods a Vixen could ever want. The Vixens wanted everyday street wear, so we expanded to include thousands of casual styles. The Vixens wanted Renaissance Faire and steampunk fashions, so we expanded to include them. The Vixens wanted purses, and man, did we add purses (lots of them)! Now, Violet Vixen is a one-stop-shop for alternative women/men/everyone.

    Nearly 8 years in business, the online shop and community has grown in major ways. Our offices have grown, our crew has grown, and our mission has grown. We are still the same old Violet Vixen but with more people, more ideas, and a little more space. This fall we are even opening our first brick-and-mortar boutique in Austin, Tx! Stay tuned for more information on that.

    Here at V.V. headquarters, we are very proud of our ever-growing crew, managing all the things behind-the-scenes. It’s like “don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain!” only, DO pay attention because they are cuties! Our staff is a team of 10 people, these days. We’ve made a huge effort in compiling the most diverse alternative people we could find. They are rare gems, combining smarts, alternative-fashion-prowess, and hilarity. Seriously, we have so much fun it shouldn’t be allowed to be called work. Our approach is that of a “hive mind”. We brought people in to collaborate with us that could speak for the different niche groups that are embedded in our larger Vixen community. There is a huge effort to represent everyone, all the different types of Vixens, in our staff conversations and brainstorms.

  There’s an old saying, “you can’t fake the funk.” That has never felt truer and down here in Austin, we are living the alternative lifestyle for REAL.  We wear these clothes. We perform in these corsets. We obsess over every new bag.  Sometimes, we have to order extra purses because the purse-carriers of the office FLIP OUT and make a mad dash for the new inventory. We want them to be happy, look good, and also, test the products for us, so we just order extra and celebrate their excitement as a sign of a good product. The point is, we use these products and live this lifestyle. When we pick new products to add to the shop, we are only picking things we would want ourselves. There’s no faking the funk.  If we wear a new product and find something we don’t like about it, we either fix it with the manufacturer or remove it from the site. We only show you the good stuff!

    The Violet Vixen Brand of corsets has grown to include corset dresses, dresses, skirts, shirts, waist bags and a few other things. The rest of the store is filled with a compilation of products from other popular brands that we love. We are official retailers for a handful of the sickest alternative fashion brands out there, worldwide. We work hard to find the most unique, must-have, products and compile them all in one place, to make it easy to find the hottest new fashions out there.

     What else did the Vixens need? We noticed that not everyone wants an insanely high-quality corset, or to have one special-made to their measurements. Some people just want an affordable, fast, option to add to a costume or cosplay. Some people, who have never worn one, want one to try out, a beginner corset before they take the plunge and order something special. We heard you. Now, we have an even mix of high-quality, made-to-measure corsets and more affordable, beginner corsets. The beginner corsets only come in standard sizes S/M/L/XL and sometimes have plastic bones. However, for some, that’s exactly what they are looking for. We understand that not every outfit needs a $100 made-to-measure corset and we want to give you that option. (TIP: Always pay attention to the descriptions on the product pages. All the information about what types of bones it has and if it’s a made-to-measure corset or a standard size, is there. Many of our returns are from people not reading the product description before they purchased.)

    Ultimately, Violet Vixen wants to contribute to this community of alternative people. We want to hear your input and what kind of products you would like to see in our store, so we can better serve this community that we love so much. We want to contribute to the conversations, the evolution of thought and to you feeling amazing in what you’re wearing. We don’t care about looking good to impress others but about feeling good and self-expression. We are the weirdos and we’ve never felt better about it.

Meet Charlotte! She is our Office Manager and Employee of the Month for September.

Congrats, Charlotte! Thanks for the hard work!

About the Author:

Blair has been the resident photographer and videographer for Violet Vixen for the last 2 years. Before this, she was a music photographer in Austin, Tx, specializing in electronic music and events. 

A nightlife adventurer, she always seeks out the brightest colors and characters, making an end product that is interesting and joyful. She is, above all, a creator. Everything about her is off-beat, so her photography and writing follows suite. Normal is boring.