Getting to know the faces behind the garments.
By Belckem Namegabe
Welcome to Beyond the Stitch, where you get to know the faces behind the garments. We spotlight underground and upcoming brand owners. Today, we’ll be spotlighting Tre Ruffin and learning about his Christian-affiliated clothing brand, New World Initiative.
Ruffin is a student athlete for McPherson College’s basketball team. His hometown is Junction City, Kansas, locals refer to it as “The Junk”, and he attributes a lot of his upbringing as an inspiration for his business. “Growing up, I was surrounded by a majority of small businesses, I grew up in a very diverse community.” Ruffin references living near a military base and how this drew in a lot of diversity in his communities, as well as values and the experiences of many different cultures. This, alongside the influence the church played in his early childhood, helped mold a solid foundation for him. When asked what inspired him to start his Christian brand, and how his faith influenced his business? Ruffin claims that during the initial creation of his brand knew he wanted some type of platform to give glory to God, and he already had a strong passion for fashion. So that sort of inspired him to make the clothes and start reading through his Bible, finding different verses, and then trying to incorporate them into his clothing. Ruffin’s faith inspires everything within his brand; he is the soul foundation of everything.
Any piece put out is a direct representation of a verse that holds personal significance to him, or verses that he believes would benefit others.
Ruffin ensures his products align with Christian values by making sure his brand is not too “worldly”, highlighting things that do not properly represent Christ and the Christian community. He tries to stay away from imagery and branding that would cause those to question his brand’s agenda. Ruffin shares the religious belief of being free of judgment and not judging others, and he tries to apply this to his brand. So if you’re judging somebody for wearing it, even though all their doing is representing Christ, it may be time to check yourself.
When asked what role the churches play in his brand? He states, “Nothing, nothing at all.”, claiming to attend church often when he was young, but slowed down and even stopped going as he got older. Ruffin believes that with or without a church, you’re able to use your clothing to connect with God. Because people are the body of Christ, not the building itself, so in turn he uses his clothes to spread the gospel! Ruffin Face’s several challenges as a Christian clothing brand owner like backlash for religious views. When asked what advice he would give to aspiring Christian entrepreneurs looking to start their brands. Ruffin states, “to be okay with other people not validating what you’re doing,” advising young entrepreneurs to trust and have faith in themselves, expressing that if God gave you a vision, then it is for you and you alone. Emphasizing understanding the value and weight behind your calling and just being okay with having to spend some nights alone with yourself, creating and messing up and restarting again.
NWI, New World Initiative, is heavily inspired by the Bible; some staple verses for Ruffin and his brand are the verses Isaiah 4:18-19. It conveys the message to forget what was in the past,. Past mistakes, past idols, past ways and mindsets, and to open their eyes to see that God offers a new way of life, and Ruffin tries to spread this ideology through his clothing! Moreover, first Timothy 4:12 as well, teaches not to let anybody look down upon you because you are young or that you can’t do things because of your age. This is a big one for entrepreneurs because this job has no age requirement; instead, you example through your speech and actions, and model what it looks like to be a Christian entrepreneur.
When asked where Ruffin sees the future of NWI, he hopes to make a larger impact in the online space, creating a community full of fashion and faith. It can be a challenge balancing his faith and business; However, Ruffin still has big plans for the future outside his clothing brand. “At the end of the day, it’s just a vehicle to spread the Gospel and look good while you’re doing it.”
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