It's Not Just A T-shirt

It's Not Just A T-shirt. We are creating statements one T-shirt at a time.

All of us have a story, and some of the chapters involved might be bittersweet. We all have challenges, beliefs, and different views. I wanted to take a few moments to share with you why Fab 4 Expression was born and what we stand for. A big part of my life are disabilities. I am one of the pioneers within the Autism community. I can tell you, 25 years ago you could not walk into a library and find a book on the subject. I enrolled in a medical library and at that time there were 3 books.

Standing in a line with a child that stimmed or made a sound often turned into unpleasant experiences with those around me. At first, I wanted to rip people’s heads off for their staring and rude comments. My son had some challenges, but was better behaved than most regular Ed kids we came into contact with and yet we had our share of confrontations. He deserved to be treated like a human being I was not about to make him stay locked up in the house, but in those days we did not have tools to utilize and I felt like life might be slightly easier if I could take a sharpie and write stuff on my forehead to make it easier to navigate the grocery store. 

Eventually I learned to utilize these moments as possible moments to teach about Autism in a nonchalant way. The clinic was one of the worst places to go and I was there 3 times a week for Speech, OT, and PT visits. Not only was the parking lot a challenge with traffic and a little boy that toe walked, but they had plants and fish tanks everywhere. Trying to get a child away from the fish tank when his name was called turned into a big production that was mentally and physically exhausting. I secretly hated whoever came up with the idea to utilize plants and fish tanks in empty spaces because it was pure hell for me. If some of the people would just be kind and recognize my son was not a brat and things were harder for him to transition from; life would have been so much easier it seemed. 

Unfortunately, in my day such tools did not exist but times are changing. Fab 4 Expression does not only sell awareness T-shirts, but it is the reason the concept means so much to me and some of these experiences are what inspired the view to create Fab 4 Expression.

We exist for the person that needs an affirmation to remind them they are worth something and it assists with their self-esteem or the empty nest parent that lost their identity due to being sacrificial and forgot who they were and what they liked. The domestic violence victim who chooses to take their pain and turn it into purpose. The person that enjoys their job so much they want to incorporate it into their wardrobe. The individual who has a strong belief about something they want to share with the world.

 Fab 4 Expression is for the person who is boldly comfortable with who they are, or the person who is searching to find themselves. We think of the T-shirt as the canvas that speaks. Thank you for your time and until next time. Happy Halloween and stay safe.