Our Story

We (Travis Gardner and Tucker Burns) met while in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M and became friends while involved with Parsons’ Mounted Cavalry, the last remaining horse-mounted ROTC unit in the country. We want our brand to be personally symbolic, but to also contain a meaning with which others can resonate. After months of brainstorming, we decided on “The Charge.”

Throughout history, a cavalry charge was iconically an army’s most feared and revered battle tactic. It could quickly win a battle, but was difficult to execute and so considered a very risky maneuver. When a commanding officer (CO) gave the order, it wasn’t done lightly; the complexity and risks were understood by all. As a result, COs who called for a charge have been and are remembered still for heroism and bravery regardless of the battle’s outcome.

We love that symbolism.

We believe that everyone has a charge be it personal, professional, or relational.

However, most people are too scared to pursue it. They see only risks, meditate on doubt and fear, never running toward what they are called to do. But we’re here to tell you there are worse things in life than pursuing something and failing. Unlike the COs that called for a cavalry charge, if we fail, we’re probably still alive. We can dust ourselves off and try again. At least we don’t have to live with the regret, sitting in mediocrity, years down the road asking ourselves “what if?” All the while, feeling like victims of our current situation, instead of accepting the fact that we’ve become victims of our own choices.

The goal of this company is to make superior quality polos and shirts while inspiring others to achieve their full potential. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you succeed or fail; all that matters is that you passionately pursue what is important to you.

We initially received inspiration for our logo from the George Washington battle flag, which is comprised of 13 six-pointed stars, representing the 13 original US colonies.  Our use of the six pointed star in our logo is not out of a desire to glorify Washington himself, as no man is perfect, but more so to encapsulate the spirit of what he and his battle flag represented.  This flag was flown whenever Washington was on the battlefield so that everyone knew he, the authority figure, was present. Most commanders in that era did not want to stand out. Even to this day, officers wear subdued rank in the deployed environment, so that they are less of a target to enemy forces.

The task the US Colonies faced was seemingly impossible: defeat the strongest army in the world.  However, even in the midst of enormous opposition, Washington made no effort to conceal his location.  This lack of regard for his own wellbeing not only made a strong statement to his enemy, but also served as inspiration for his own troops, knowing that he was in the fight alongside them. 

When people wear our brand, we want them to walk in confidence. We want their presence to be known, not just because they’re wearing high-quality apparel, but also by the way they carry themselves. We want them to bring the mindset from the battlefield to the boardroom, and beyond, as the body pursue "The Charge(s)" God has given them.

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” We want people to live in that reality when they wear our brand.