Clinton Ballard x Brooklyn Alchemist Station

Name: Clinton Ballard

Age: 30

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Current title: Co-Founder of Brooklyn Alchemist Station & Lyfestyle

Education: Bachelors of Science Chemistry from Temple University

Clinton Ballard is changing the manufacturing game here in New York City. After working in the pharmaceutical industry for some time and realizing it wasn’t for him, Clinton channeled his love for clothes, shopping, and looking nice and started his own brand, Lyfestyle. He began manufacturing his own designs and later with his partner founded Brooklyn Alchemist Station, a clothing manufacturer for smaller and independent brands. Clinton hopes that Brooklyn Alchemist Station (BAS) can be a place for the little guys who make smaller orders. “It started from me making my own t-shirts and being eager to know how clothes were made,” says Clinton. “One thing lead to another and now I’m making clothes for other brands.”

How did the idea come about and what hole in the market is BAS trying to fill?

We came up with the idea due to the fact that when we started our clothing line, we had trouble getting our clothes manufactured. We had the network and resources to take the manufacturing into our own hands, so we thought about trying it out and offering the service to other brands. The hole we’re trying to fill is to focus on the smaller and more independent brands and designers. A lot of those guys are pushed to the side because manufacturers don’t want to work with you if you aren’t producing at high volumes and don’t meet the minimum order. This forces these brands to do everything on their own and it’s sort of an unrealistic way to start a company.

Any strategy behind placing it in Brooklyn?

Frankly, the rent is cheaper in Brooklyn. A lot of it happened by chance. I ran into a college friend and he was getting some hats made. He took me to a factory in Brooklyn and there was a big space in the factory. I spoke to the owners of the factory and they were open to renting space in the factory. I think I visited them on a Saturday and luckily by the following Saturday, we moved in.

How excited were you to meet your kick-starter goal? What methods did you use to get people to contribute?

I was very excited. I’m very cynical so it was good to see friends, family, and strangers believe in the vision that we had. Strategically, when me and my partner did the video we wanted to evoke emotion in the viewer. New York City used to be this capital of fashion and it’s not really like that anymore. It’s not really for the small guys right now, they want the designers producing a large number and for a store or big brand. It doesn’t really make sense as a smaller brand or a brand just starting out to make bigger volume. We’re just trying to help people who can’t afford to make huge orders at one time.

How important do you think it is for designers to manufacture in the United States? What are some pros and cons of manufacturing in the United States and overseas?

I think where you manufacture is up to the individual. If you’re adamant about keeping things in America and building the American economy then I would say manufacturing domestically is good. I think as long as the factories overseas are operating ethically it isn’t a problem to manufacture overseas. I will say that one of the advantages of manufacturing here, and for myself is that things overseas take a bit more time. You could be waiting 2-3 weeks for a sample whereas I can do a sample here in 2-3 days. A lot of times customers don’t get that. They want New York City turnaround time with international pricing. I’ve been spoiled so I can’t imagine manufacturing overseas because I wouldn’t want to wait 2 months for a sample, although it is a little bit more costly.

Who does your team consist of and what positions do they hold?

Brooklyn Alchemist Station is pretty much me and the sewers. I manage all the orders that come in. All of the private label stuff, I manage at this point. I was running a brand “Lyfestyle” and I hired a team there that will help me manage that brand so I can spend more time managing Brooklyn Alchemist Station. It’s been kind of hard to find a consistent team for Brooklyn Alchemist Station so I use a team more with Lifestyle so that I can free up some time for BKA Station.

Can you tell us a little about Lyfestyle?

I started out just making t-shirts. It was an idea me and two of my friends came up with. We wanted to portray a certain image with the brand Lyfestyle. We used to say “people aren’t about the lifestyle, aren’t about that life”, and thought it would be a great brand name. We immediately got into making t-shirts and got into screen printing, but i didn’t like screen printing. Since I didn’t like screen printing, I got into cut and sew. About one year after starting the brand we moved to cut and sew. I’ve learned a lot from it. I’ve modified my business structure based off of what has worked and what hasn’t worked, so I’m excited to see where it’ll be in a couple of years.

What is your marketing strategy?

The marketing strategy is actually something that we’re really working on right now. I’m trying to reposition myself at Lyfestyle so I can give myself to Brooklyn Alchemist Station and give the company the effort that it needs. I think I have something more special at Brooklyn Alchemist Station. It has been hard thinking about the marketing strategy and sales strategy since I had Lyfestyle on my plate but I’m definitely working on it and giving it more time. Luckily, I think designers like us because I actually own a brand so I can relate to their needs. Other factories just have factory owners who don’t understand the particular needs of a designer. They’re just concerned about the business. Clients see what I’m doing with Lyfestyle and want to do what I’m doing. That commonality allows us to relate to each other in a way factory owners can’t relate to designers.

How do you plan on incorporating social media into your marketing strategy?

That’s really something on the top of my agenda for 2016 as well. It’s something that I will definitely be addressing. It’s so interesting that we have followers since we don’t necessarily have a strategy behind our social media so I’m interested in seeing where it goes when we really have a plan in motion.

What is your favorite piece that you’ve manufactured?

For me, it’d be sentimental. I feel like designs come a dime a dozen so a favorite piece would be something that accompanied an accomplishment. The varsity jacket has done a lot for me. My partner and I started off with that pattern, so if there’s any design I’m most proud of, it’d be the varsity jacket because that’s what laid the foundation. Creatively, there isn’t really anything it’s more sentimental.

Who are some of your past clients?

We don’t have any bigger clients. Unfortunately, a lot of our clients aren’t consistent. We’re still really small and work with smaller designers who seem a little afraid of investing in their designs. We’ve been able to sustain because of how consistent the inconsistency has been. Every month we have a new group of clients. That’s something I don’t want so as we move through 2016, I want to build a solid customer base.

Are you still a teacher?

Yes, I am still a teacher. Teaching for me was a job I could do with a chemistry degree but also maintain a life outside of work. Corporate America wanted too much of my time and the money was good but I didn’t want to continue with that type of commitment. I had friends that were teaching and they would always talk about the amount of free time they had and I thought to myself -let me try out teaching and see how it works. I’ve been doing that for about four years. Right after school, I shoot over to the factory. It can be overwhelming but it’s the path that I chose.

Has being a teacher helped you in the manufacturing business? Are there skills useful in both environments?

I try to learn something from everything that I’m involved in. Working in the pharmaceutical industry helped me make sense of Brooklyn Alchemist Station from a business perspective. Teaching put me in a leadership role. Before teaching, I was constantly trying to prove myself because I was a young black man straight out of college in an older white male-dominated industry. Teaching taught me to be more assertive and explain myself better and I try to take that over to the business. The business teaches me to be serious and not play around with my time which I definitely take to the classroom and try to instill in my students.

What are your ideas for expansion this year?

My biggest idea is trying to get more into the tech world. I want to bring Brooklyn Alchemist Station to the computer, tech, app worlds. I know that we have something special and it just needs to be transformed into the perfect way to be consumed. This is actually the main reason I’m okay with putting Lyfestyle to the side for a while, because I think Brooklyn Alchemist Station can be great if I do it the right way.

What advice would you give to your 23-year old self?

Don’t go to school out of state. I should’ve made the best business decision to reduce the cost of school. Other than that I can’t say there’s anything that I regret. I learned a lot from my first job working in corporate america so I definitely don’t regret that. Everything else in my life was cool and I wouldn’t change it.

Clinton is Black to Business…

Brunch or happy hour? brunch

Show you wish was still on the air? Martin. I was young watching it, so as I got older some things got funnier.

I wish I could ____ better: Manage my time

If there was a movie about your life who’d play you? Sean Nelson who played in the movie Fresh that was shot in Brooklyn in the late 90s.

Album/song listening to heavily right now? Pusha T’s album, prior to that it was A$AP Rocky’s.