From the Creator

Dear Reader, I hope your well today.

Pain built this brand. Purpose made it powerful.

I started Alchemist Row at rock bottom, broken, tired, alone. I was 3 months out of a 7-year relationship, working a $10/hour job, and barely hanging on. My “friends” disappeared. My identity crumbled. Depression had me locked in a chokehold, and I nearly pulled the trigger of a 9mm to silence it all. I still feel the steel against my temple. But life had other plans.

Right as I was about to go, a baby food commercial flickered on the TV, and it hit me in the chest like a punch from the universe. I had a son. A purpose. I didn’t know how to be the father I never had, but I knew I had to figure it out. That moment didn’t just save me,  it transformed me.

Years later, as a tattoo artist, I kept seeing it; people walking in with pain, trauma, grief, and leaving with art that made them feel alive again. Purpose was being inked into their skin. That’s when I realized… I wanted to reach more people. The power art and expression can have. And not just through tattoos.

So I built Alchemist Row, not as a clothing brand, but as a movement.

Alchemist is the mindset. The philosophy. You take what you have — your flaws, your fire, your story — and you make purpose. You create your meaning. Your reason to rise.

Row is the action. It’s facing everything behind you — trauma, loss, regret — and still choosing to move forward. You can’t always see where you’re headed, but you trust yourself enough to keep rowing. That’s faith in motion.

This brand is for the ones still here.

The ones who survived what should’ve ended them.
The ones battling invisible wars every damn day, and still showing up.

Alchemist Row speaks to you without needing to speak at all. It’s wearable proof that you’re not alone. It gives people a way to signal they’ve been through it — and they’re still fighting. Still healing. Still rowing.

If you’ve ever felt like no one gets it, we do.
If your thoughts have ever felt violent, we see you.
If you’ve ever questioned your worth, you’re already enough.

Your story matters. Your existence matters.
You’re not just part of the movement — you’re the hero of it.

Row Forward;

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Iain