Our Process

Alex's Stupid Studio is a project intended to give people access to locally made and slowly/thoughtfully designed items. Emmalee and I are both from central PA and one thing we love about it is how many goods and services there are from small family-run businesses. We try to model our studio as a more modern version of that mom n pop shop experience. At the end of the day this is a business like any other online store but it’s way more about having a way to make stuff and share it with people.

Currently, we do this out of our apartment with Emmalee as the sole full-time employee making a little over minimum wage. The fact that this exists (since 2018!) and we have been able to send stuff to people all over means most of our goals have already been acheived. If things keep going well we'd love to buy more equipment, expand our manufacturing network, and one day own our own space to work.

We take pride in doing as much of the process as we can (design, print, dye, embroider, paint, shipping, photography, finances, web design, ads, etc) but the business as a whole is a fairly complicated mix of the following manufacturing methods:

In our apartment we have a decent little manual screenprinting setup. The main benefit of having this setup is that we can print cheaper and in smaller quantities, allowing us to spend more on high quality blanks and print more options.

We are currently learning machine embroidery and also how to dye clothes but these things are difficult to do (especially at scale) in our small space with limited equipment so we're mostly tinkering and seeing what sticks.

In addition to all that, we occasionally make other homemade items in our studio such as candles and yarn. We're also working on some art stuff like paintings, drawings, and prints.

In our apartment we have a decent little manual screenprinting setup. The main benefit of having this setup is that we can print cheaper and in smaller quantities, allowing us to spend more on high quality blanks and print more options.

We are currently learning machine embroidery and also how to dye clothes but these things are difficult to do (especially at scale) in our small space with limited equipment so we're mostly tinkering and seeing what sticks.

In addition to all that, we occasionally make other homemade items in our studio such as candles and yarn. We're also working on some art stuff like paintings, drawings, and prints.

We love to work with other local businesses and artisans, even if they aren't local to us :] It is very cool that for certain items we can actually support other studios and workshops while simultaneously learning and making really nice stuff that we can sell to support ours.

Luckily two of our favorite places to get things made are right near us! Check out Clark Morelia for leather goods and A Small Boat Press for printed glassware.

Sometimes we also function as the manufacturer for other small businesses, artists, etc. If you have anything in mind for your project that we might be able to do please reach out!

We love to work with other local businesses and artisans, even if they aren't local to us :] It is very cool that for certain items we can actually support other studios and workshops while simultaneously learning and making really nice stuff that we can sell to support ours.

Luckily two of our favorite places to get things made are right near us! Check out Clark Morelia for leather goods and A Small Boat Press for printed glassware.

Sometimes we also function as the manufacturer for other small businesses, artists, etc. If you have anything in mind for your project that we might be able to do please reach out!

When we can't do it ourselves or locally we find manufacturers that accept small orders. We do this for anything that we'd never be able to make well at home like sweaters, buttonups, plushies, beanies, etc.

The vast majority of these manufacturers are from the USA or China. We try to do our due diligence when selecting these places, especially from China where we only take on manufacturers that are SA8000 certified (or at the very least BSCI compliant).

If you want to see where we make an individual item you can check its product page for the country of origin and more details.

When we can't do it ourselves or locally we find manufacturers that accept small orders. We do this for anything that we'd never be able to make well at home like sweaters, buttonups, plushies, beanies, etc.

The vast majority of these manufacturers are from the USA or China. We try to do our due diligence when selecting these places, especially from China where we only take on manufacturers that are SA8000 certified (or at the very least BSCI compliant).

If you want to see where we make an individual item you can check its product page for the country of origin and more details.

Even if the above explains what we do and why we do it fairly well on an objective level, there are a lot of ambiguous preferences and issues that we are constantly working with and figuring out. Below I've written them out so you can help share our burden :]

a vague set of principles
  • • We do not offer cheap essentials or expensive luxury goods and we will never have the resources to be the best at either of those things so we will have to do something else.
  • • Try to make stuff that will last a long time from a literal and a design perspective.
  • • Alex's Stupid Studio is not an e-commerce company, it is two people with a website.
  • • Challenge our customers to expand their color palletes. Everyone looks cool in tie-dye.
  • • Although we like to treat customers like they are our friends, great friends have to have healthy boundaries.
  • • If we have to advertise or market our stuff try to do it in the least annoying way possible.
  • • Only do collaborations if they allow us to do something new creatively or logistically.
current challenges
  • • Even though sometimes they go hand in hand, it is tough to balance growing as artists and focusing on what sells.
  • • The only place we can find nice blank clothing that is made in the USA, is typically in stock, fits well, feels nice, is in our price range, and comes in a wide array of colors and options is all the way in Los Angeles. Finding something from the east coast or midwest would cut down on shipping time, costs, and environmental impact.
  • • Our home studio is extremely limited by our lack of space, equipment, knowledge, and time. Even in an ideal setup it will always be hard work to produce as much as we'd have to sell to make a living, especially producing stuff that meets our standards from a quality perspective.
  • • Making really cool items can require very large orders, expensive materials, industry relationships, and specialized design experience.
  • • We had to give up our living room to make room for printing equipment :(
  • • Student loans
a note on sustainability

Truthfully, our company is so small that we are in control of very little when it comes to big picture decisions that affect sustainability. This doesn't mean that we are not using resources and labor, and ultimately causing harm. One thing I've learned is that every item/garment takes a significant amount of raw materials, labor, chemicals, fuel, packaging, etc.

Of course we try to minimize this harm when we can by doing things at home/locally or at least choosing where we source other items with ethics in mind. Even though we do our best, there are so many steps in making a product that we cannot inspect, audit, and influence. As the business grows, we will try to make things in a way that is as straightforward and right as possible.

In my opinion, the best things we can do in regards to helping the world are:

  1. 1. Exist as an alternative to bigger, worse companies that may do bigger, worse things with your money.
  2. 2. Make stuff that will be useful and loved for a long time to avoid unneccessary consumption.
  3. 3. Inspire people to make things themselves, buy from small businesses, and set higher standards as consumers.

Thank you for taking time to learn more about what we're working on here. If you have any questions, advice, or opportunities that you'd like to share with us please contact us over email or social media.