Small Business Spotlight: Trio literally puts their faith in apparel company

Tien Huynh and two friends were at the gym training for last year’s “Tough Mudder” race and obstacle course in Topeka, when they noticed something about themselves and their fellow “gym rats.”

“Everything you see is (people wearing) Under Armour,” Huynh said. “I’m really tired of walking around promoting somebody else’s gear.”

So were friends Joshua Free and Canh Nguyen. The trio, all of whom consider themselves entrepreneurs, got the idea of starting their own brand of athletic gear and tying it to another passion in their lives: their religious faith.

Thus was born Faith First Gear, which sells long- and short-sleeved T-shirts, polo shirts, tank tops and hoodies designed to be worn in the gym or in casual settings. The apparel sports a cross on the front left crest and what Huynh calls a “Christian shield” on the back with the brand’s slogan: “A different kind of armor.”

“We thought, ‘Why don’t we promote something we’re passionate about?’ ” Huynh said.

“For us as Christians, one of the things we’re supposed to do is share the Gospel with people. (But) I’m not one of those people who can go knock on my neighbor’s door. So what if we spark a conversation through our apparel?”

Huynh and Nguyen are childhood friends. All three partners went to Wichita State University. Huynh has owned cellphone stores and another apparel company, Nguyen an online scooter business and used-car lot and Free a company that provides software to medical providers.

With Faith First, Free said, “We’re all kind of wearing all the hats. Whatever needs to get done that day, we do.”

Huynh said he has used his contacts to find apparel with no labels or tear-away labels. Faith First contracts with another company in Marion for screen printing and embroidery. That supply route made more sense to a start-up than ordering large numbers with labels already attached, Huynh said.

The trio started testing prototypes last year.

“We even went as far as blindfolding some family and friends and having them hold our shirts and Under Armour and have them tell us which was which,” Huynh said.

Another test came when they showed the gear to a local high school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter.

“They were like kids at Christmas,” Free said.

The trio hopes to market its apparel partly through FCA chapters, letting those organizations keep some of the revenue. They say they will donate 10 percent of their gross revenue to Christian nonprofits.

Faith First apparel fits men, women and children from about the age of 5 and up. Prices range from $15 to $35.

The company will exist as an online presence only. Its website includes a “covenant” asking potential customers to agree with tenants of the Christian faith before viewing the merchandise.

“It isn’t just about making apparel,” Hunyh said. “It’s about building a community.”

Hunyh says he and his partners see no conflict between faith and commerce.

“We truly believe, as silly as it may sound,” he said, “that the Lord instilled an entrepreneurial spirit in us.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Small Business Spotlight: Trio literally puts their faith in apparel company."