Check Out Al Howard’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Al Howard.

Hi Al, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

From the days of Adam and Eve, humans traded fig leaves for fashion to cover our vulnerabilities. As a kid, I remember searching through donated clothing at the homeless shelter to find clothing that would be an expression of me, but most importantly, hid the fact that I lived in a homeless shelter with my mom. Due to my mom’s drug addiction, I never stayed at a location too long. We lived in various cities and shelters, and if things got too bad, I returned to stay with my grandmother in Durham. From my childhood experiences, I learned how powerful a vehicle’s fashion and clothing were, the importance of being a good steward, and how shame and cruelty was destroying our society. I was a very depressed kid, and very little brought me joy. However, styling myself and others provided me with some very fond memories. Fashion could express some of the inner parts of your personality while masking your low self-esteem, depression, and other vulnerabilities. While my childhood was rough, my family impressed upon me a legacy of stewardship. Being a Good Steward means putting the tribe before ourselves and that our lifelong goal should to be impactful vs. “important.” I saw the tenacity of my mother. She never stopped trying to get clean, and when she did, she helped many others do the same and became a nurse. My grandmother worked hard and had very little income, but she always gave. She always took me in, raised my other two cousins and me, prayed for others, and gave food and money to others in need. I also experienced and saw the shame others felt because they were going through challenging situations. The shame you feel and receive from others knowing your struggles should not be harder than the journey to overcome them. I saw others like myself try to hide their pain and their situations because they had experienced how cruel the culture could be.

When God called me in 2015 to start Good Steward Apparel to counter our culture of shame and cruelty, I shaped it with faith, legacy, my story, and the answer to God’s call. My business partners, Nia Lawson, and Jonas Richard believed in my calling and helped us grow to 3 brands. The Bible shows us that Jesus was a counterculturist. He taught and exemplified love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. He didn’t let anything stop him from being a Good Steward. He healed people on the Sabbath even though it was against cultural norms and the law. He showed kindness and healed the sick, blind, poor, etc., even though the culture did not think they were worth his time.

The culture will change according to the people and is often counter to God’s culture. We all must be willing to do what is right, even if it is against cultural norms. Good Steward Apparel Brands (Good Steward Apparel, No Robots Streetwear, and Be Athletics Unlimited) inspires others to put on Good Stewardship daily and offer brands to fit a Good Steward lifestyle. When counterculturist supports any of our brands with a purchase, you give back to local non-profits. When you wear any of our brands, you model a lifestyle of grace and kindness, modesty, celebrate uniqueness, and that greatness is the norm. We are becoming humans without humanity. Together we can change this culture of shame and cruelty and replace it with a culture of good stewardship. A culture in which we see each other like God does and work in the community as God intended.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?

One of the biggest obstacles has been me. I was shy, did not like the spotlight, and preferred helping others behind the scenes. When God gave me the idea to go by Al The Great, it felt out of character. It felt arrogant, but it was really to affirm as this person that I was not yet walking in. Greatness is in all of us, and the culture does a lot to devalue our God-given greatness, so we spend time searching for it vs. walking in it. I have had other struggles like other entrepreneurs with a lack of support and funding, feeling like I needed more time to dedicate toward the business, and the race to learn as much as possible to succeed in my business. However, everything else became much more manageable when I realized my greatness. My business partners came at a pivotal time when I was almost ready to give up. I was tired of trying to do it alone and at a time when I didn’t understand my greatness. They believed in God’s calling on Good Steward Apparel enough to support me. Their faith, support, and belief in me reenergize me to continue.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

I am a designer, writer, and public speaker. I use all the tools of my creativity to inspire counterculturism. I love challenging norms, like bringing typical fall patterns to a spring and summer collection, showing how amazing and sexy modesty can be, and inspiring people to be counterculturists and normalize kindness. One of my favorite prints is houndstooth. It is generally used for fall and typically a casual to dressy print. We used it in our last fashion show for a spring collection, highlighting our streetwear brand, No Robots. I no longer style or create to hide vulnerabilities but use fashion as a vehicle for people to be seen in their individuality and spread a message of counterculturism. I also write short stories that remind others that we are human. We all fall short and deserve grace and love from others. As a speaker, I seek to inspire others to embrace their inner fire and greatness. When we embrace our greatness and feel comfortable being ourselves, love, grace, and kindness become much easier. When people are whole, they don’t feel the need to hate, dominate, and try to manipulate others. I also have a podcast called The Counterculture Show on Coffee and Collaborations Media. It has been an amazing platform for presenting a counterculture to the audience and discussing difficult topics.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?

Pain can inspire amazing forms of creativity and fuel us to achieve our wildest goals if we cope with it in healthy ways and do not let it consume us. I was a very depressed kid, in a shallow place for most of my life. I had thoughts of suicide that I thankfully never acted on. If it were not for a loving God that helped me find usefulness in my pain, my story would be very different.

Contact Info:

• Website: goodstewardapparel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodstewardapparel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodStewardApparel

Image Credits
Models- Max Elmore, Jasmine Nicole, Alexia Cotton, Centhla Cobb, Diamond, Chrisette Simon, Jolene Tamboue, and Jalen Williams Photographer- Vicky Eaton