Meet Local Creative Brittany Waters of Alchemy Eleven

By Kelly Lamano

Meet Brittany Waters, the designer and creative force of Alchemy Eleven. She rented our venue for an artistic pop-up experience last year and it was a huge success. As soon as guests walked in, they could tell she made the studio her own. Brittany transformed the space with clothing racks filled with custom Alchemy Eleven clothing, placed her logo on our reclaimed wood wall, used ladders as props, hung jackets from the ceiling, food, drinks, and a quick and easy checkout process for her customers, known as “V11Ps.”

Brittany tailors clothes in a way that makes more sense to her, from trimming and dyeing shorts to adding her brand name and her creative vision to camouflage denim jackets.

“Alchemy is a test-creative brand, creative expression, an ongoing gallery of things,” Brittany said. “That’s what I want it to be – a creative brand more than a clothing brand.”

How It All Started

One of the first clothing projects Brittany worked on involved designing the student section football t-shirt her sophomore year of college at Wake Forest University. She played basketball and designed school shirts for fun on her own, and someone approached her to make official student shirts to cheer on the football team.

“I was shocked that even fell in my lap. They noticed that I was making shirts for my roommates and basketball, fan-type t-shirts.” Brittany said. “I thought, What? Thousands of kids are going to wear this? That’s insane.”

Brittany credits her inspiration from music, culture, and other designers. Her tailoring and designs began with DIY projects. She didn’t like certain clothes in stores and envisioned a way to alter them. Those DIY projects turned into something more that she enjoyed and wanted to share with people, later launching her Alchemy Eleven brand.

Modeling Her Own Creations

As Brittany customized more pieces, she wore her own creations. Friends asked where she got her clothes and if she could make them clothes. Two of her friends in particular, Jermaine and Daman, were team Alchemy from the beginning. She met them playing on a basketball circuit team locally.

“They noticed that I wore these clothes all the time when I would be out, at clubs or bars, wearing my brand all the time. That was my goal, to wear what I was designing or making, Brittany said. “They asked where I was getting this, and I told them, I make it myself. I made them one thing and they’ve been ordering from me ever since.”

Friends-turned-V11Ps like Jermaine and Daman support Brittany and share information about Alchemy Eleven like new releases to encourage people to check out her work.

Introducing Concepts with Clean Social Media Profiles

Every few months, and sometimes even weeks, Brittany clears her Alchemy Eleven Instagram profile completely. She removes all photos and starts over, keeping just one photo of herself so people know who she is (and that she’s a real person). She does this to present a focus for her audience.

“Art is subjective,” she said. “Because we’re such a social media-driven society, people focus on what they see a lot. If I had 500 pictures from when I was in college up until now, people would take that into account, and they’d be focused on so many different things. It’s a driving focus, having people focus on just one thing at a time.”

She uses social media to present a clear concept of her brand, her clothing, and her message. She aims to create content that can’t be replicated.

“You’re going to judge my page off of what you see, not who I am,” Brittany said.

Operating as a One-Woman Business

Brittany describes running a one-woman or one-man business as “chaotic” and “expensive,” but shares that it helps to have a second opinion.

“It’s an ongoing learning process,” Brittany said. “It will be a true test of your ambition and your goals. When you have someone who can help you, it makes a world of difference. You have to bring in people that you trust.”

 “I think it’s essential to have that right-hand person, because they’re thinking about the things you’re not. That’s why we have editors and people that look over things so many times because a second set of eyes, a second set of ears, negotiating, evaluating things for your business. They’re also great for honest feedback about what you’re doing. They may be skilled in another area that you’re not.”

Planning Pop-Ups Events

As Alchemy Eleven grew, so did the demand for V11Ps to pick up orders as most of them live in Orlando and want to avoid shipping costs. Brittany makes a limited number of each piece, so the pop-ups give her the opportunity to display collections, give V11Ps prepaid orders, and meet new customers who can browse, buy, and mingle.

“This would be my chance to show people what do I do and let people look at what I’m doing. That was the important thing: reaching more people, maybe this person has been following me for a few years and they never met me, so it’s like a weird, celebrity moment.”

It takes Brittany one to two weeks to visualize the pop-up concept and event layout. She says the event date, time and venue are the three most important factors to making sure each event is a success. She thinks about what’s convenient for her audience: when they work, where they’re located, and when they like to go out to unwind from work.

“You have to take a lot of things into consideration,” Brittany said. “That’s how I have to think of it. If all of my friends wanted to come to my birthday party, how could I get them all to come, and what would be a good time and date, and where?”

Finding the Right Venue

Brittany knew she wanted to host her events in downtown Orlando. “That’s where everybody wants to meet up anyway when they want to go out to party or go to clubs. It would be easier because they’re familiar with that area.”

Another important factor to consider is budget. Brittany noted that the Orlando Photography Studio was one of the more affordable options in her search.

“Being able to find the venue and pay money was another hurdle I had to jump because I never really had to conjure up this money all at once. At the end of the day, your motive is not to just make money. But your love spreads of your art and your brand, so you also have to be mindful of it.”

Why Brittany Booked the Orlando Photography Studio as Her Venue

“The photo studio had the most information with a virtual gallery that we could view,” she said. “It’s like shopping for a place to live temporarily. What would be most intriguing to me, a space that I can recreate as my own, and they would give me creative freedom, which is the most important.”

The virtual gallery includes photos taken at the space, as well as event photos to help envision events like Brittany’s.

“They allowed me to be creative where  I could move things around and have the time to setup. It was a good first impression online, and it was a good location that fit my demographic. It was a place where  everyone could feel invited.”

Communication is key when booking and planning events.

“They were great about their responses. I built a rapport with them through email, so it made me confident about choosing the right business,” Brittany said. “They were very thorough with how they operate. They provided me with electricity, lighting, ladders…anything I needed to bring my vision to life that I didn’t have, they were able to fill that void without charging me an extra fee. They were great, I would definitely go back there again because they were just so awesome.”

The day of the pop-up: “I had adrenaline all day. Overall, I was excited. It was a huge learning experience.”

Looking Ahead

Each pop-up event brings fresh ideas and inspirations for new creations. Brittany’s next project focuses on what she calls color discovery. “In my personal life, I don’t wear a lot of bright colors. My uniform is black, grey and white, and maybe plaid here and there.”

Brittany wants to help other people with Alchemy Eleven. “I want to be in a space where I am a go-to creative to help artists bring their vision to life.”

Follow Brittany’s creative brand on Instagram and her current creations on the Alchemy Eleven website.