Meet Jeremy Suppes

We recently connected with Jeremy Suppes and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jeremy with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

My work ethic really started in junior high school. I was in the drumline and we had a drum instructor that came out of the professional drum corp circuit. He would always tell us, early is on time, on time is late and late you’re in deep shit. That made a huge impact on a teenage me. I’ve carried that into every job and project I have had. Shortly after high school I began to work in tattoo studios and that also played a role in my work ethic. Being on time, being prepared and being flexible about art were valuable lessons I learned right away.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started dyeing as a hobby about 8 years ago. My then-girlfriend and now wife was preparing for a solo art show of her paintings, and she suggested I find something creative to do while she painted. At this point in my life, I had not done anything artistic since life sculpting in college. I was always surrounded by artists, working in tattoo studios and tattoo supply companies for much of my 20s and 30s, but I did not have anything that I was doing artistically. I started off with a cheap dye set and quickly made the change to professional dyes. After a few months, I took on an order for a brewery and the order started coming in. After about a year we started vending at black market cannabis events and on shakedown street at Dead and Co shows as well as farmers markets and art events.

As for my work, I specialize in traditional bottle dyeing. All of my colors are mixed by hand, so each batch has its own uniqueness to it. My work is most known for isolating the screen printing so that the dyes do now overpower the design and highlight the artwork instead of muddying it up. Another large area of my work has been breathing new life into vintage shirts and garments. I’ve done everything from vintage Grateful Dead shirts from the ’70s/’80s to Online Ceramics and Coogi clothing. Send me your stained clothing, and I’ll make it brand new. Besides custom work I take on bulk orders and collaborations when possible. I’ve dyed shirts for the graffiti artist Bigfoot One, Tim Hendricks at Classic Tattoo, glass artist Mike Gong, Dj Matt Bennet, and many others. Recently i have been focusing on more collaborative work with local sewers and makers. I just did a line of bags with Yellow Mood Designs out of Santa Barbara and am currently working on some cut and sew garment projects.

These days I vend at our friends tattoo shop in Santa Barbara, Mary Tattoo. They do monthly flash events and have all kinds of amazing vendors set up. You can also find me every 3rd Tuesday running the shakedown street for Carpenteria Dead Family at Revolver Pizza in Santa Barbara and every first Thursday I am set up at Fortified Tattoo in
Lompoc for the Art Walk.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

No matter what you do, being on time is most important. Being prepared for your job or craft and any wild card that could pop up. And especially if you are self employed, no one will do the work for you. Master these and the rest will be easy. Just show up and do the work. The rest will fall into place.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Right now I am looking to do more cut and sew collaborations. I would love to do more custom garments in 2025, anything from menswear to women’s. Pants, jackets, dresses……I’ll do it all. You can reach me at @alchemydyes on Instagram or via the contact link on alchemydyes.bigcartel.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alchemydyes.bigcartel.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/alchemydyes
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/alchemydyes