Hi! I’m Andrea, Founder and Creator behind 12 Cuts Apparel - a customization brand that focuses on unique apparel only YOU can wear.

12 Cuts Apparel is a reflection of steadfast resilience, answered prayer, and excitement for opportunities not yet revealed. While in the NFL for the last 6 years, my husband was cut 12 times. The first four of those were VERY hard - very uncertain. The next four were like the second trimester of pregnancy - uncomfortably comfortable. We were used to the roller coaster so we were accustomed to the insecurity surrounding losing your job for the fifth, sixth, seventh, and EIGHTH time. I’m laughing as I type…who gets “fired” EIGHT times and keeps going?! Apparently we do. And I’m SO glad we did. The last third of Ben’s cuts started to have a slight sting to them that felt all too familiar, “Ok, now we have kids…is this a sign that we should ACTUALLY be done this time? Do we keep moving around the country to make this happen? Is this worth it?” You know how people say life happens between destinations? Well, for us, it happened between cuts. The people we met, the opportunities we had, the adventures we went on, they are priceless. Each were more than we could have ever asked for, more than we could have expected, and nothing we ever had in mind for ourselves.

My husband was at camp at the Broncos in August of 2022 and two weeks in, I decided my kids and I needed cool shirts to support him at the game we were hopefully heading out for once I moved us to our Airbnb in Denver. I realized that the only consistencies from cut to cut were his name and his face. So! I took an image of my husband that I loved, turned it into a printable graphic, and created shirts for my kids and I with his name and his figure design. I graduated with a Communications and Graphic Design degree from Ohio State so it was right in my wheelhouse. I’ve always been a lover of crafting, my Cricut, and just general creativity. I was told by my first grade teacher that I could make a flashlight out of a brown paper bag and it’s been a phrase I’ve come to very much embrace as I’ve flexed my creativity throughout my life.

I knew the shirts were cool when I made them, but I had no idea the impact they would have on others. I shared my designs on my personal Instagram with the intention of just sharing something I was proud of. I never intended on selling anything and definitely never expected anyone else to want these shirts. I told myself that if anyone reached out and asked for a custom graphic, I would make 5 so I didn’t overwhelm myself. Within the first 24 hours, I had over $1200 of committed sales and counting.

After the initial share of my shirts, my husband was unfortunately hurt and cut a week later only to completely retire November of 2022. God’s timing is always perfect, and this has been no exception. What are the odds that I realized I had this ability and passion a week before my husband would play his last snap after being in the league for 6 years?

With some encouragement, a little guts, and lots of sleepless hours, I decided to say heck with it and turn this gig into a business. I have made MANY mistakes, made many friends, and realized things about myself I never considered before.

12 Cuts Apparel makes memorable, cherished custom game day pieces for anyone and everyone. Because we were always heading to the next place, I never felt like I could buy custom gear. Too expensive to invest in when I don’t know if we were staying, going from practice team to active roster to cut so I’ll wait until things slow down (which…they never do…), etc. I want to make gear that someone like myself could have worn and felt comfortable purchasing no matter what.

Are you still here?? That was lengthy, thanks for making it to the end! This business has been an answered prayer I didn’t know I was praying. I SO look forward to connecting with you and making sweet customized gear that only YOU can rock.

-Andrea

P.S...for anyone curious…my husband is an Indy 500 Mechanic now! (Indy 500 is racing for anyone who doesn’t know…which I did not lol) Proof that life DOES exist after football. If you feel how I felt, let me tell you sister, things do slow down. However, the chaos is what you talk about when you need a reminder of your own strength.