The Brandon Shirt

[This is a copy of a Facebook post written by Ben Howells, CEO of Akin Clothing and dear friend to Brandon. It is included in this blog with his permission. Thank you, Ben!]

Of all the shirts we have made this has the most personal meaning for me.

A few days before my good friend Brandon passed away we were working on this design together.

Brandon was involved in a lot of crazy things growing up, a gang member etc. before he did a complete u-turn on his life to become a loving family man, so it made me laugh in the way only Brandon could when he told me his dream was to go into fashion. Ladies fashion in particular.

We talked a lot about the brand and planned to get him involved in a serious way, so I told him he could start designing shirts with us to get his foot in the door of his dreams.

My very last texts with Brandon were about the designs we were working on. As I am sure everyone who knows and loved him did, I felt so many emotions following the tragic news. I was feeling guilty going back to work as if everything was normal and I didn't know how I could just carry on living the dreams we had planned together without him.

Then his amazing and strong wife Mary wrote to me and told me she wanted me to make the plans Brandon and I had been working on a reality. So we finished the design he started.

We incorporated the birds from the drawings of the children in Perú - where Brandon had given up 2 years of his life to go and serve the Peruvian people.

After talking with Mary we have decided to use the funds to provide school uniforms to kids in Africa - Brandon had recently returned from a project in Africa helping women start businesses.

This shirt is for you Brandon. I love ya and I miss your crazy stories and our chats and laughs. Your dreams became a reality. Your designs are out in the world now. [Shirt available for purchase here: http://www.akinclothing.com/shop/the-brandon-boy]