Everyone knows I love a good bit of merch.. Today my guest feature is Pieta from Alchemy Clothing Company – a streetwear brand rocking the fresh threads. Turns out Pieta is BC’s sister. “The younger and better looking one” I believe she said. *Just saying.*
Alchemy Clothing Company recently teamed up with the underground powerhouse label Rah Records and began pushing merch for the epic roster of talent that Rah boasts.
After copping a Matt Xander and Branded Moore tee when I 1st saw the announcement, I can proudly say that the quality is top tier and the shirts are fucking dope. They also throw in some stickers and goodies in a little care bag.
Alchemy you bloody legends!
How long have you been creating?
The concept behind Alchemy Clothing Company was realised about 12 months ago however my own curiosity has had me in research on the topic for many years now. Initially I was looking to outsource my prints externally, but came across a few hurdles with quality of print, communication with suppliers, business efficiency and cost control.
To combat these issues and to keep more in line with the notion of Alchemy, I quickly learned vinyl cutting and printing and now all prints are hand crafted by me at my home in Newcastle. This allows for customization of products, efficiency in production and has vastly reduced business costs associated with outsourcing. I am always looking for ways to evolve, both personally and professionally, however I have more experience in business efficiency than I do in my own transmutation.
Haha I can relate! So what’s your ideal creative environment?
That’s entirely dependent on what stage of creation.
Research and design- I need a completely quiet space. No TV. No Music. No people. Just silence.
Printing/Sewing- Music is always playing. There is no exception to this.
Processing- I’m normally watching a documentary- either trues crime or science related.
What inspires you?
I am mostly inspired by different world cultures, their history and religions. I especially find a certain curiosity in philosophy, poetry, occultism, astrology and spirituality- and only realising just now in saying this, I guess I am inspired by things you can’t touch. I think we are all trying to find our own understanding in this crazy world we live in and we do that in different ways individually. Mine is found in reading about people and history.
Dope. Did you grow up with music in your home?
God YES! Rage was always playing on a weekend morning in our house from my earliest memories. At a young age, my brother and I would stay up all night just to watch Rage until the program closed the next morning. This was the early nineties and every track was just banger after banger. They are very fond memories of mine and this is definitely where my music and coffee addiction began.
Haha awesome. Who are you listening to these days?
I’ve been listening to a fair bit of hip hop lately. Maybe I’ve been inspired by this latest collaboration with RAH! Records.(Laughs) My musical interests are quite vast though and I find myself listening to more Dubstep and Bass these days which gives me the motivation to get up and GO! I do laugh to myself that most genres I love start with the letter G- Grunge, Garage, Grime, Glitch.
Alchemy Clothing Company
What does music give you?
Music gives me an escape. I have always been a dreamer and one of my favourite places to visit is inside my own head. Music makes it easier for me to open the door into a fantasy land of my own curation. This is possibly why I enjoy such a broad selection of music. I have been learning the guitar recently also, and that gives me a sensation I’ve never known before. I think it’s called serotonin- because it needed a name right now.
What’s your creative style?
My designs are based on symbols that hold significant meaning; not just related to Alchemical symbols but also inspired by different spiritual and cultural imagery from across space and time. Alchemy has more of a spiritual meaning than a literal one to me.
What’s next for you?
Alchemy has just launched Official Merchandise for Rah! Records and Artists and we have some exciting things planned for this collaboration in the near future. Stand alone, Alchemy Clothing Company has also recently launched into Lllewelyn’s at Gladstone and I have been pleasantly surprised by the success of this enterprise. Fair to say that I have an abundance of designs and new business ventures up my sleeve, but you will just have to wait for their manifestation.
Funniest moments?
In relation to the first photo shoot with Matt Xander and AM Photography- I took it pretty seriously at the time, never having done this before and well out of my comfort zone. The last shoot was with an explosion of Confetti that Xander later likened to, “When you jerk off a Unicorn.” It had me laughing up to and including now.
Big ups to Pieta for taking the time to share such awesome positivity with us. Good people her and BC that’s for sure. You can cop some dope merch from Alchemy here .
As always, thanks for rocking with ya boi Prim!
Very nice interview! Rocking on! \m/