“True Vineyard Color” is taking the Island by storm. Sylvie Farrington, creator of the popular home decor, purse, clutch, and tote bag company SylvieBags, launched her show in February 2025. “Last November I went to a podcast seminar in Los Angeles for women podcasters. I learned so much,” she says. “It really lit a fire in me.”
At just 18 years old, Farrington came to the Vineyard from Germany and started out working as an au pair, eventually launching SylvieBags. “There was ease here. I didn’t feel judged like I did back in Germany,” she told The Times. “Growing up, I had always felt like I would never amount to anything, and when I got to the Island, anything seemed possible. I was embraced by the people here. Everything naturally fell into place.”
“I loved what I was doing,” she said of SylvieBags, “but after 27 years, I knew it was time for something different. My other passion is for people and their stories, especially people who have struggled and turned their struggles around.”
Farrington’s interest in stories of struggle and triumph is rooted in her own upbringing. “My father grew up during World War II with no family, and I saw how these early traumatic experiences shaped his entire life dramatically. He became an artist and developed an incredible drive to raise his family by selling his art. He inspired me to not be afraid to start something from nothing, and he modeled a great dedication to his work,” she said. “But he had never learned the power of a loving family and community, and this made a big impact on my brother and me. His rage was often unpredictable, and I left home at 16 years old and was placed with a foster family before coming to the U.S. at 18. In my early 20s I started my healing journey by working with a therapist here on the Island. I know now that my father did the best he could, given his own childhood. Our family’s story helped me see how people’s childhood stories impact their entire life. And I noticed that when we gain this awareness, a difficult start can be transformed into a life of great meaning and positivity.”
Recent podcast guest, writer, MV Times employee, and fashion designer Sharisse Scott-Rawlins says that sharing her story on the podcast was more than just an interview: “It was a moment of being truly seen, heard, and celebrated. I spoke from the heart about ‘Dear Fellow Warrior,’ my upcoming self-help poetry book written on the shores of Inkwell Beach during my journey through surviving cancer. Every word holds a piece of my healing — and I was deeply honored to have my story uplifted and celebrated.”
Island yoga teacher Jason Mazar-Kelly (YogiJay) was also a recent podcast guest who discussed how his struggles led to his life’s work: “Growing up with OCD always made me question the stories of my mind. Yoga helped me to understand what I am behind those stories. It’s why I teach today, to help people remember that they are not just their stories but they are the storyteller — the energy behind it. When Sylvie reached out to me about her podcasts, I was instantly engaged, because she was providing another form of that same remembrance. Helping people to share their stories and holding space in such a graceful way allows participants and listeners to engage in story and see the awesomeness of the human behind those stories.”
Farrington said some of her goals for the podcast are to shine a light on the endeavors of Island neighbors, and highlight local services that listeners may not have known about: “I recently invited Patrick Roden-Reynolds from the MV tick program as a guest, to talk about strategies for protecting oneself from tick bites. This interview sprung from my observation that a lot of people on the Island are concerned about ticks.”
In August, Farrington will launch a series called “Vineyarders Helping Vineyarders.” But year-rounders aren’t her only audience. “For seasonal listeners,” she added, “I am hoping the podcast serves as a venue to find out more about the people who live on the Island year-round. From my observations over the years, I have noticed that visitors are often very interested in the stories of locals of the Island that they love.”
Farrington feels that hosting the “True Vineyard Color” podcast is one way she can give back to the community that gave so much to her: “I feel like the Island has been so healing to me, because I have encountered acceptance and love here, and unconditional support right from the start, even when I didn’t speak the language, and looked like a very rebellious teenager in my first summer. I felt this energy immediately, from the moment I arrived.”
Farrington is always looking for stories of transformation, and welcomes folks to pitch their ideas to truevineyardcolor@gmail.com. Visit truevineyardcolor.com to listen to episode clips, past interviews, and a bit of Farrington’s own story. Follow Farrington on Instagram at instagram.com/truevineyardcolor_podcast, and on Facebook at acebook.com/sylviebags.