More Than Spirit Wear - Building Identity Through Apparel

July 15, 2026

JOURNAL

More Than Spirit Wear - Building Identity Through Apparel

There are certain shirts almost all of us keep far longer than we probably should.

They're faded. They no longer fit the way they used to. Some have been folded in the back of a drawer for years. Others somehow survive every move, every closet cleanout, and every attempt to finally let them go.

It's interesting when you stop and think about why.

No one keeps an old championship shirt because of the fabric. They don't save a camp shirt because it was the most comfortable one they owned. They don't hold onto an old team hoodie because it was made better than every other sweatshirt in the closet.

They keep it because of what it represents.

The moment they see it, they're reminded of the people they shared it with. The coach who believed in them. The teammates who became lifelong friends. The difficult practices. The bus rides. The conversations after the game. The season that shaped them in ways they didn't fully understand at the time.

The shirt simply became connected to something much bigger than itself.

I've always found that fascinating.

The things we keep are rarely valuable because of what they are.

They're valuable because of what they remind us of.

That's one of the reasons I've come to think differently about spirit wear.

For most organizations, creating apparel is simply part of the season. Schools order shirts for students. Teams create uniforms and warmups. Churches outfit volunteers. Leadership programs, Scout troops, clubs, and camps all eventually reach the point where someone asks the practical questions.

What should it look like?

Where should the logo go?

How many should we order?

Those are important questions.

But after spending years working alongside organizations that leave a lasting impact on young people, I've become convinced they're not the most important ones.

A better question might be this:

What do we hope someone remembers every time they put this on?

That question changes everything.

Instead of thinking only about colors, logos, and layouts, it shifts the conversation toward purpose. It asks whether a shirt can become something more than apparel. Whether it can quietly reinforce the values an organization hopes young people carry with them long after the season has ended.

Research surrounding memory, identity formation, and youth development consistently points toward an interesting idea. We don't simply remember experiences - we remember the meaning attached to them. Over time, ordinary objects become reminders of extraordinary seasons. A photograph can bring back a childhood memory. A song can transport us to another chapter of life. A simple shirt can reconnect us with the people, values, and experiences that helped shape who we became.

And honestly, that makes sense.

Identity is rarely formed in one defining moment. It's built through repeated experiences that reinforce what matters. The environments we spend time in, the expectations we're surrounded by, and the reminders we encounter every day quietly shape how we begin thinking about ourselves.

That's where I believe apparel has a much bigger opportunity.

A logo tells people where someone belongs.

A message can remind them who they're becoming.

Imagine a leadership program where every student is reminded to Lift Others before every meeting. A volleyball club where every athlete sees Earn Tomorrow before every practice. A Scout troop where Be Prepared isn't just something that's said during meetings - it's reinforced every time someone pulls on their shirt before an event.

None of those messages change a life overnight.

But that's never been the point.

The beliefs we're reminded of most consistently often become the beliefs we begin carrying ourselves. Over time, those reminders influence expectations. Expectations shape habits. Habits strengthen character. And character has a remarkable way of influencing the direction of someone's life.

That's one of the beliefs that eventually became part of SOREN.

Not because we wanted to create another apparel company.

Because we wanted to help organizations reinforce the values they were already working so hard to teach.

Every school hopes students become leaders.

Every coach hopes athletes become great teammates.

Every church hopes young people develop stronger character.

Every youth organization wants members to leave carrying something far more valuable than memories alone.

Our goal has never been to replace those missions.

It's simply been to help reinforce them.

"The most influential organizations understand that culture isn't built only through what people say. It's built through what people consistently experience. Every conversation, every tradition, every expectation, and every reminder becomes another opportunity to shape someone's identity. If something as simple as apparel can reinforce those values every time it's worn, then it becomes much more than spirit wear. It becomes another part of the environment helping shape a life."

Brent Wiltz, Founder of SOREN

Looking back, I don't think the organizations that changed my life did so because they handed me a shirt.

They changed me because they gave me something to believe in.

The shirt simply became another reminder of those beliefs every time I wore it.

Maybe that's the opportunity more organizations have than they realize.

Not to create better apparel.

To create stronger reminders of the culture they're already building.

Because years from now, someone may pull an old shirt out of a drawer and immediately remember the people, the values, and the place that helped shape who they became.

If that happens, it was never just spirit wear.

It became part of their story.