Testimony.
Why I started Crooked Supply?
The main reason I started Crooked Supply was to design clothes I actually wanted to wear.
During the early days of the brand, I was out clubbing, partying and going to festivals most weekends, accompanied with drugs and alcohol.
This was the lifestyle I was appealing to because that was who I was at the time, thus the name “Crooked Supply”.
I always considered my brand to be a representation of where I was/am in life. So as I grew as a person, so did my brand and my take on fashion.
My struggles & beliefs:
Someone asked me at church recently why I decided to be a Christian, it sounded like he was struggling with something so I told him my testimony (at the time). I started to think deeper about why I actually decided to seek something bigger than myself, then I realised that I was looking for assurance.
I struggled with anxiety and the need to be in control of everything. To break it down, I needed assurance that things would work out. I was relying on myself to figure everything out, but I just ended up spiralling in my thoughts.
When I was younger, I didn’t realise that the drugs and alcohol were what made my anxiety worse. There were times when I had a constant pressure on my chest that I couldn’t get rid of.
I subconsciously knew that I ultimately couldn’t control the outcome, and when you have anxiety and the need to control everything, you're cooked.
I was someone who was logical and had to see the facts before agreeing to something or making a decision but I believed that there was something bigger than us — whether that was God or the universe — because when you run a business, you need to have faith that it’ll work out, whether that’s in yourself, God, or the universe.
What started to change?
I started to outgrow my old lifestyle, and my take on fashion was changing too.
I realised I was relying on drugs and alcohol to have “fun”, but I started enjoying being sober and productive on the weekends more.
This wasn’t an overnight thing. Over time, along with some bad experiences, I naturally drifted away from those things. They didn’t align with my priorities, business, or lifestyle anymore.
It wasn’t until I started learning more about God that I realised He was removing those things that were contributing to my anxiety before I even started believing in Him.
It didn’t make sense to me at first because I thought God only worked in people who already believed in Him. But I’ll get to that later.
One night, I came across a video on social media that was something like, “5 signs you’re getting closer to God.” The signs started to line up with what I had been experiencing, and I decided to give God a chance.
My original goal for Crooked Supply:
Being in the clothing industry and running a small business, my main goal was to grow and scale my brand.
I scaled my business to multiple 6-figures and into a 3PL warehouse.
I created a range called “Punters Club”, which ended up being my most popular design to date. Some of you may even own a piece or have seen it before.
As I started doubling down on this design, I felt like it was taking me further away from the reason why I started the brand in the first place and that was to design and create clothes that I wanted to wear, while building a community that shares my approach to streetwear, fashion & interests.
I didn’t know what to do with the design because I felt stuck in something that I no longer aligned with but the demand was high, and removing the design meant walking backwards with my business.
My realisation 1:
I didn’t realise till later that I was indirectly promoting gambling that could potentially harm others — it also didn’t align with who I was becoming in Christ.
The Punters Club range wasn’t the only products I sold, but it was the best seller for my brand. I had customers who were interested in the Punters Club range, but also customers who were interested in the fashion/streetwear side of my brand.
Ultimately, the Punters Club design didn’t give me any peace and added to my anxiety. It didn’t feel fulfilling and I felt stuck. It wasn’t where I wanted my brand to be in regard to fashion & streetwear.
It also wasn’t something I could remove immediately, as it was a key pillar in my business’s growth and it paid the bills.
Removing this design meant taking a huge step back in production, downscaling the business, no income and living on savings until something else stuck.
With my struggles with anxiety, needing to be in control, and wanting assurance, giving something major up like the Punters Club design would have been a struggle without God, but He gave me assurance through His promises and the tradeoff was better.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV)
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
God's plan:
After learning more about God and His word and making an effort to surrender to Him, this verse kept popping up in my mind: “God will make your crooked paths straight”, which should've been:
Isaiah 45:2 (KJV)
“I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight:
I will break in pieces the gates of brass,
and cut in sunder the bars of iron.”
In short, it means that God prepares the way, removes what blocks it, and opens what cannot be forced.
Essentially, God will make what is crooked into a path that we can move forward in — God clearing the way ahead of us, breaking any strongholds that could hold us back in what He has planned for us.
I prayed for guidance, alignment and direction for Crooked Supply, which led me to re-aligning Crooked Supply and removing the Punters Club range completely.
Same name & logo, but a new identity that aligns with God.
The brand is still aligned with where I am in life — but now it’s also aligned with God's will & plan.
The meaning behind the brand today is literally the verse above — that God will go before us and make our crooked places straight, which is the testimony that He gave me.
The breakthrough:
The brand and clothing is now a testimony of what God can do in our lives through His love.
The tradeoff was:
Drugs & alcohol for peace & less anxiety,
Punters Club range for purpose & fulfilment.
It's full circle:
When I said it didn’t make sense that God was working on me even when I didn't believe yet:
But when I looked further into Isaiah chapter 45 for context, it was God speaking to Cyrus - king of Persia.
Cyrus was NOT an Israelite, and he did not worship the God of Israel.
Yet God chose him anyway - God can use anyone.
Cyrus was anointed by God and was used to free the Israelites from Babylonian captivity and to authorise the rebuilding of God’s temple in Jerusalem.
This act of restoration was a significant part of God’s redemptive plan for His people, reaffirming His covenant with them.
So when God said in Isaiah 45:2:
“I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight…”
He’s saying to Cyrus:
• I’m clearing the way for you
• I’m opening doors no one else can
• Even though you don’t fully know Me yet, I’m still sovereign
Cyrus showed us that:
• God is not limited by our background
• God is not stopped by imperfection
• God can work through people before they fully understand Him
My realisation 2:
God was removing obstacles from my path even before I believed.
I realised it was God directing my paths all along but I wouldn't have known if I didn't take the chance to know God.
Purpose:
God has a purpose for us even when we don’t know what it is yet. Like me, I didn’t know what my purpose was, but this chapter in Isaiah made it clear for me.
God gave us free will.
He can show you what is possible even before you believe, but it is your free will to believe in Him.
Because if God forced us to love Him, that’s not love — that’s abuse.
Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil,
to give you an expected end.”
This verse was written by the prophet Jeremiah to the Israelites who were in Babylonian exile before God used Cyrus to bring them out of captivity. The Israelites were taken from Jerusalem for their disobedience against God. They were discouraged, displaced, and wondering if God had abandoned them.
Jeremiah 29:11 is about God's faithfulness to His people. Even in discipline, exile and uncertainty, God always gives us a way out, His ultimate plan is redemptive and to give us an expected end.
This is what God has done in my life and for Crooked Supply so far.
All glory to God.