I Thought I Had to Succeed First
Before Quiet Armor existed, I had another streetwear brand.
It wasn't Christian.
It was simply something creative I wanted to build. I had a business partner, ideas, designs, plans—and in my head, I had already decided how the story was supposed to go.
I would make this brand successful first.
Then, once I had proven that I could do it, I would start a Christian brand.
That second brand would be my way of giving something back to God.
Because God had already rebuilt so much of my life.
He carried me through the collapse of my first marriage. He brought Sarah into my life when I had given up on love. He gave me a family I never thought I would have. And eventually, He led me away from the photography career that had defined me for more than twenty years.
I wanted to build something for Him.
I just thought I needed to become successful first.
Apparently, God didn't need my success.
Then Sarah Said Something
One day, Sarah casually said to me:
“You should make a collection based on the Fruit of the Spirit.”
Love.
Joy.
Peace.
Patience.
Kindness.
Goodness.
Faithfulness.
Gentleness.
Self-control.
Nine different pieces built around Galatians 5:22–23.
But what stayed with me wasn't simply the idea of putting the Fruit of the Spirit on shirts.
It was what they represented.
The Fruit of the Spirit isn't decoration.
It's evidence.
You can say you believe in God.
You can go to church.
You can wear a cross.
But what does your faith produce when you leave church?
Do I have patience when someone tests me?
Do I choose kindness when nobody rewards me for it?
Can I practice self-control when nobody is watching?
Can I love when loving someone is difficult?
That idea stayed somewhere in the back of my mind.
Then, about two weeks later, everything changed.
The Plan Fell Apart
My business partner suddenly told me he was quitting.
I was confused.
This wasn't how I had planned it.
I thought this business was supposed to become successful first. I thought I needed experience, momentum, money—some kind of proof that I knew what I was doing.
And suddenly the path I had built in my head disappeared.
That's when I remembered what Sarah had said two weeks earlier.
The Fruit of the Spirit.
So I prayed.
I asked God a very simple question:
Is this the time?
Not after I become successful.
Not after I figure everything out.
Not after I have the audience, the money, or the perfect business plan.
Now?
And one thing led to another.
Quiet Armor was born.
I Had the Order Backwards
Looking back, I think I had been trying to make a deal with God without realizing it.
Let me succeed first.
Then I'll do something for You.
But faith doesn't begin when everything finally makes sense.
Sometimes faith is moving while you still don't know where you're going.
That's part of what Quiet Armor eventually became for me.
Not a brand about having perfect faith.
A reminder to actually live it.
Not just when it's convenient.
Not just when people can see it.
And definitely Not Just Sunday.
The original Fruit of the Spirit collection was where that idea began.
It was the seed.
And now, years later, I'm returning to that seed.
KARPOS
I'm rebuilding the collection under a new name:
KARPOS.
Karpos is the Greek word commonly translated as fruit.
Nine fruits.
Nine tees.
But I don't want these pieces to feel like nine Christian graphic shirts with Bible words printed on them.
Karpos needs to represent what Sarah's original idea meant to me:
Faith should produce something.
Love should become action.
Patience should become action.
Kindness should become action.
Self-control should become action.
Faithfulness should become action.
Because the Fruit of the Spirit isn't a list of things we're supposed to put on a wall.
It's the kind of person we're slowly allowing God to form us into.
And I'm nowhere near finished.
That's why I need the reminder too.
Back to the Beginning
It's strange rebuilding this collection now.
Because I'm not really creating something new.
I'm going back to where Quiet Armor started.
Before Not Just Sunday.
Before the website.
Before the drops.
Before I knew what Quiet Armor was supposed to become.
There was a conversation with my wife.
A business plan falling apart.
A prayer.
And nine fruits.
That's why Karpos will never just be another collection to me.
Karpos is the collection that gave birth to Quiet Armor.
And maybe that's appropriate.
Because fruit comes from something that was planted long before you could see what it would become.
Quiet Armor was planted there.
I'm only beginning to understand what God intends to grow from it.
KARPOS
Nine fruits. Nine pieces. One daily faith.