A Letter From Our Founder

"Faith isn't something you wear on Sunday and take off on Monday. It's who you are—every day, everywhere you go."

Before there was a logo...

Before there was a website...

Before there was a single shirt...

There was a praying mother.

Every morning before I walked out the door of our apartment on the West Side of Chicago, I waited.

Not because I was running late.

Not because I had forgotten something.

I waited because I refused to leave until I heard my mother pray my name.

Her name was Erma Lee Lacey.

She prayed for each of her seven children every morning.

Only after I heard my name lifted before God would I walk out the door and face the world.

At the time, I didn't realize what she was planting inside me.

Faith.

Courage.

Compassion.

Character.

She often reminded me,

"Treat people the way you want to be treated."

"Do everything out of the goodness of your heart, and God will bless you."

Those weren't just words.

They became the foundation of my life.

My mother loved Jesus with all her heart. She loved gospel music, cherished long conversations with friends, and welcomed people into our home with a generosity that never seemed to run out. Even while raising seven children, she somehow always found enough food for neighborhood kids and anyone else who needed a meal.

She taught me something I still believe today:

You don't have to have everything to give something.

Growing up on the West Side of Chicago also taught me different lessons.

I saw violence.

I saw gangs.

I saw addiction.

I watched the damage alcohol caused in my own family, and I made a decision early in life that I would never allow those things to define my future.

My older brothers taught me resilience.

They believed weakness invited people to take advantage of you.

My mother taught me something equally important.

Strength without compassion isn't strength at all.

Those lessons stayed with me long after childhood.

Then life changed forever.

My older brother was shot and killed.

I was twenty-seven years old.

Grief has a way of forcing you to ask questions you never wanted to ask.

During that season, something happened that I still struggle to explain with ordinary words.

The voice inside me became impossible to ignore.

I knew God was calling me.

Around the same time, a friend invited me to his church.

Without either of us knowing it, my wife's friend had been telling her about that very same church.

We hadn't coordinated it.

We hadn't planned it.

Looking back, I believe God was leading us both to the place He had prepared for us.

That decision changed everything.

Faith stopped being something I believed about.

It became someone I trusted.

As my relationship with Christ grew, so did my desire to serve others.

For more than fourteen years, I served as the Assistant Department Head of Evangelism, leading neighborhood outreaches across Chicago, teaching evangelism, mentoring believers, speaking at conferences, organizing homeless food drives, and sharing the hope of Jesus wherever God opened a door.

Those years taught me lessons no classroom ever could.

One day, while ministering on the streets, a young man approached me and challenged everything I was saying from Scripture.

We went back and forth.

Verse after verse.

Point after point.

I thought the conversation was about winning an argument.

Then, in the middle of our discussion, I sensed the Holy Spirit whisper something completely unexpected.

"Hug him."

Everything in me wanted to keep talking.

Instead, I obeyed.

The moment I embraced him, he broke down in tears.

What followed wasn't another debate.

It was a conversation about pain.

About life.

About hope.

Eventually I met with him and his parents for Bible study.

That day changed me.

It reminded me that people don't always need another argument.

Sometimes they simply need someone to show them the love of Christ.

Years later, I found myself praying again.

Not about starting a clothing company.

Not about building a business.

I was simply asking God for direction.

Then one word came to my heart.

F8TH.

I remember asking,

"Lord...what is F8TH?"

Then something else came back to me.

As a child, my mother had taught me how to sew.

A memory I hadn't thought about in years suddenly became part of something much bigger.

With the help of a close friend from church, ideas became sketches.

Sketches became designs.

Designs became a vision.

Not simply to make clothing.

But to create something believers could wear every day that reflected the hope, courage, and faith found in Christ.

A way to...

Share your faith without saying a word.

That simple idea became the heartbeat of F8TH Brand.

Everything we create begins with purpose.

The shield represents the Shield of Faith—our confidence and protection in Christ.

The cross reminds us that Jesus' sacrifice is the foundation beneath everything we do.

The stripes represent His sacrifice, the authority believers have in Him, and the calling to stand firm in faith.

Our message—

Take The Leap

—is inspired by Peter stepping out of the boat when Jesus called him.

Peter didn't walk on water because he had all the answers.

He walked because he trusted the One who called him.

Without that first step...

There is no miracle.

I believe the same is true today.

Faith has always required movement.

It asks us to trust before we understand.

To obey before we see the outcome.

To take the leap.

At F8TH Brand, we believe clothing can do more than make a statement.

It can start one.

Every design is created to create opportunities for people to encounter hope, spark meaningful conversations, and ultimately point someone toward Christ.

If one believer finds the courage to wear their faith without shame...

If one conversation begins because of one shirt...

If one hurting person is reminded they are deeply loved by God...

If one life is changed because someone had the courage to ask,

"What does your shirt mean?"

Then every sketch...

Every stitch...

Every late night...

Every prayer...

Was worth it.

My prayer has never been to build the biggest clothing brand in the world.

My prayer has always been much simpler.

That someone would put on one of these shirts...

Walk into work.

Walk into school.

Walk into a coffee shop.

Walk through their neighborhood.

And because of one conversation...

Someone would discover hope.

Because of one conversation...

Someone would be reminded that God has not forgotten them.

Because of one conversation...

Someone would discover the life-changing love of Jesus Christ.

If that happens...

Then F8TH Brand has fulfilled its purpose.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your story.

I pray that every time you wear F8TH Brand, you're reminded not only of what you believe...

But of the One who made that belief possible.

Wear Your Faith Boldly.

Share Your Faith Without Saying a Word.

Take The Leap.

— Timothy Lacey Sr.

Dedicated to the loving memory of my mother, Erma Lee Lacey.

The first person who taught me what faith looked like.