How did I land on creating sweatshirts?” my friend Hilary asked me when I gave her the news. “I have no idea!” I responded.
Did I plan to open a shop with the start of the blog? Definitely not. But I am learning to follow God’s nudges and trust that He knows what He is doing.
THE ORIGIN STORY OF “HIS”
While reading the New Testament last year, a verse from Luke sauntered into my heart and took up residence there: “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (9.26).
I scribbled in my journaling Bible: I am not ashamed of you, Jesus.
My heart quaked at the thought of being ashamed of Him. There was probably a time long ago, as an angsty pre-teen, when I was deftly aware of the “uncoolness” of going to church and identifying myself as a Christian.
But time and trials would bind me back to Him, and now the idea of being ashamed of He who sustains me is positively backwards.
I want others to know the joy and freedom that comes from identifying as His, and not as one of the world.
I want others to know the joy and freedom that comes from identifying as His, and not as one of the world.
WHY CLOTHING?
Last year, I posted on my love of clothing and how I have to keep it in check lest it become an idol.
Upon deeper reflection, I discovered that the root of my love for clothing is a love for color. I wondered if there was a way to use my penchant for color in a fruitful way for the Lord.
And so the idea for the HIS line grew out of a combination of the two: my desire to identify as His in the hopes that others would follow suit, and my love of apparel used to glorify Him.
I wondered if there was a way to use my penchant for color in a fruitful way for the Lord.
GETTING HIS WEAR STARTED
Once I chose the initial garments and digitized my logo (which is my handwriting, by the way), I knew I would need to get professional images taken to promote the line.
Cue God. He absolutely brought this amazing young photographer to my line of sight, Ashley Norton.
Not only is Ashley a Christian with a big heart for Jesus, but we had several mutual friends without even knowing it! Plus, I caught Ashley at the beginning of her career which means she is certainly underpriced for the quality of her images.
Two sweet friends and my dear cousin agreed to be models for the shoot. And look at how these turned out:
THE STORY BEHIND THE GARMENT NAMES
You might wonder why I chose Jordan, Shawn, and Aym for the garment names. Each garment is named for someone heavily involved in the process of getting HIS Wear off the ground:
THE SHAWN for Kimberly Shawn
My cousin Kim was an initial investor and has helped me along with the decisions and advertising for the line. She has patiently sat through so many of texts of “do you like X or Y better?” and always offers her full support of the Stone and the Oak.
You know the little “extra” that comes with your HIS Wear purchase? That was her idea!
When she told me the tee was her favorite, I knew it needed to be named after her.
THE JORDAN for Leah Jordan
While Leah is not one for pictures (she politely declined coming to the photo shoot which absolutely tracks for my sister, though she is GORGEOUS), she was another investor who has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for the blog and the line.
As I was narrowing down the first items for the winter collection, she said “as long as you make sure that saddle hoodie is in there, I’m happy.” So the hoodie became Jordan– her middle name.
THE AYM for Alexis’s initials
Alexis was once a tutor at the center I help run, but these days, she is nothing but a kindred friend. I call her that all the time, because though we have a thirteen year age difference, you wouldn’t know it when we get to talking.
Alexis not only agreed to be the sweatshirt model in the middle of her finals for nursing school, but also brought her sweet boyfriend into the project who was also in the middle of finals.
Grace. Those two offered me such grace and generosity by saying yes that day.
THE DOLLARS AND CENTS OF IT ALL
I believe God nudged me into creating the shop so that I could find a way to cover my blogging fees and continue to be generous to the friends I meet along the way. In 2020, I was able to offer 12 giveaways, and each one brought me so much joy:
But if I am going to fiscally justify all of the time I spend on the blog, I have to find a way to at least cover some of what I am spending. I am not trying to get rich— that is never the goal. I just want to sustain my habit of giving to others for as long as He calls me to do it.
In addition, I have chosen the charity Be the Bridge to receive 10% of the profits (if I am able to turn a profit) from the winter collection of HIS wear. Be the Bridge offers a Biblical approach to racial reconciliation, and I wrote about the organization last year at the height of the uprising: “What would Paul Say to a Divided America?”
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THIS ENDEAVOR
Above all else, you can pray for me. Starting a small shop has been a learning curve to say the least. Here I am, a teacher trained in composition, learning about trademarks, marketing, and online sales. I need prayers and lots of grace as I work my way through this very unfamiliar endeavor.
Interested in purchasing an item from the shop?
For being a reader of the blog, I want to offer you 25% off your order! Use the code STOAKED25 at checkout.
Click here to reach the shop. For being a reader of the blog, I want to offer you 25% off your order! Use the code STOAKED25 at checkout.
A DEEP BOW TO MY TRIBE
Before I go, I want to offer a huge round of applause and thanks for all of my friends who are helping get HIS Wear off the ground. My sweet friends are purchasing and promoting, and I even have a fellow blogger friend who wrote a post about it: click here to be taken to Barbara Hegreberg’s blog.
I could not do it without you, sweet tribe.
with His love,
Adelaide
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