BUILT IN PURGATORY

Timothy grew up in Sacramento, California, in an environment shaped more by gang culture than anything else. His dad left when he was six or seven. He was small, so he spent a lot of time fighting.

By fifteen he was homeless for a while. By sixteen, he and his best friend were robbing pharmacies together.

That April, Timothy's best friend was arrested first — and told police that Theo had planned the whole thing and forced him into it. Neither of those things was true. But the case leaned on his statement, and it held. Theo was sentenced to 15 years.

Timothy was arrested that August. He was released after a year. His brother wasn't so lucky.

This isn't a story about the crime. It's about what came after it.

Theo — "FM Louie" — is Timothy's older brother, and the co-founder of this brand. Growing up, he was everything: the person Timothy wanted to become. He taught him how to fight, how to carry himself, how to dress.

Before 2016, they crossed paths somewhere in the city almost every day. After, that stopped.

By June 2020, Timothy was living in Oregon. Theo was in San Quentin — his appeal had just been denied, and he was in one of the lowest places he'd been. He called Timothy from the prison's phone room with an idea: start a clothing brand.

Timothy said yes before he fully understood what that meant. They spent a few days going back and forth before landing on a name. Theo would sketch logo ideas and send them home. Timothy would find a way to show him the progress.

Prison felt like a form of purgatory — not death, but close to it. People forget you. Life keeps moving without you. But a few people still show up: through visits, letters, phone calls, packages.

That's the idea this brand is built on. Something good can still come from a place that was never built for it.

Purgatory isn't only a place. It's anywhere you feel confined — by circumstances, by expectations, by fear, by what other people have already decided about who you're supposed to be.

So the question isn't really about prison. It's about you.