IzaaJade: Building a Brand With Bella Waters
Art and Fashion
Bella Waters, the screen printer, textile designer and creator behind IzaaJade, has crafted her creativity into her own brand. She first started painting on shoes and making jewelry in 2018. “People would [ask] ‘Where did you get that?’ And I’d [say] ‘I made it.’ [Then] they’re like, ‘Can you make me one?’ And then that progressed.” Waters explains IzaaJade as a creative platform that has fluctuated according to her ever-evolving niche, but one that always reflects her passion for making and creating.
“It took me like two years to be good at screen printing. I pretty much failed for most of those two years.”
“It took me like two years to be good at screen printing,” shares Waters. “I pretty much failed for most of those two years.” She personally designed every one of her screen printed pieces.
I print in my basement and then I take the fabric that I print, and use that as textile fabric to make the wallets and the journals,” says Waters, describing how each piece initially starts out as one big design and then gets distributed into smaller items. Wallets are Waters’ personal favorite, she says, “because it’s something that I use every single day [and] they have really good durability [and] quality.”
Waters initially grew an interest in screen printing through her job at a screen printing warehouse. “I would watch these huge screens in this warehouse full-time,” she says. “Through watching screens, I got to experience the process from a bigger lens. I really just liked how many things you have to remember. I like having to-do lists and structure.” Screen printing stems from both artistic creativity and structure, and “that’s why I think I flourish in that pursuit,” says Waters.
Her love of structure doesn’t end at screen printing, though. She also practices structure through bullet journaling. “I love making lists and [with] bullet journaling, I get to totally design my spread,” says Waters. She started journaling as a kid, a practice that eventually turned into sketching, then bullet journaling. “I just kind of do it. It’s a part of who I am,” she says.
Waters’ brand isn’t limited to material items; it extends to YouTube, too. She finds her YouTube channel—where she shares seemingly endless content through tutorials, advice and more—to be a place where she is present and authentic in sharing her passions. Waters envisions IzaaJade to continue to be “a source of inspiration for people that enjoy my brand … I don’t care if I make money on YouTube. I don’t care if I have a lot of subscribers. I [prefer] a small, [strong] circle of support,” shares Waters.
“IzaaJade is going to be IzaaJade. There are no boundaries that could ever define where my brand [will be].”
When asked about her inspirations, Waters didn’t point to many specifics (aside from the Spanish architecture she posted in an Instagram story), but rather feels inspired by creating and sharing things through her art that wouldn’t be experienced otherwise. “My cake journals, for example, [are inspired by] my behind-the-scenes dream of being a cake decorator,” Waters says with enthusiasm. Another outlook Waters projects onto her brand, IzaaJade, is the “Kate Spade perspective,” which she describes simply as Kate Spade doing whatever she wants.
“IzaaJade is going to be IzaaJade. There are no boundaries that could ever define where my brand [will be],” she says confidently. See more of Waters’ creations on her YouTube channel @SEWIZAA and follow @izaajade on Instagram!
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