the story of 108

At first I didn't think of it as "my" number, because it started off as a meaningful number to someone I barely knew: my father.

My dad was an amazing friend, husband, father, brother and son. He was a reluctant fighter pilot in the Vietnam War, an airline pilot for American Airlines, an architect and an artist.

Although he passed away when I was four, and I only have faint memories of him, he left a huge impact on all the people that surrounded me. His goodness toward others, his ability to light up a room, and his drive & spirit lived on through the stories told about him, making me feel like I knew him too.

To my father, the number 108 was an expression of joy and adventure and gratitude, used among the pilots as code for “Beautiful, Fucking Beautiful” as they flew through the heavens (or sky).

Only later did I learn that to others, 108 is sacred number: the 108 energy heart chakras; in Yogic tradition the 108 mala beads represent spiritual completion; and the 12 astrological houses each contain 9 plants, equaling 108.

After his death, with my mom giving me a kid-friendly explanation of what it meant to my dad, 108 took on a deeply personal meaning to me. It was “our” number, giving me comfort and solace any time it appeared – on my digital clock when I awoke in the middle of the night and over the classroom door on the first day of school. I knew it was his way of speaking to me, letting me know I was going to be ok. Later, when I decided to leave my mother in Buffalo to move to Boston, as I sped down the Turnpike, a car pulled in front of me, pumping his brakes to slow me down, my annoyance turned to laughter as I saw the license plate – beginning JEM-108 - a sign from my dad, Jack Elton Murrell, to slow down!

So it was only fitting that 25 years later when our family uprooted and moved to Buffalo from California, where my first company tutu & boo was born, that the DMV gave us a license plate with, you guessed it, the number 108. My dad’s way of thanking us for filling his wife’s heart with love and laughs during her last few years, giving her the opportunity to know her grandsons and share her stories of the grandpa that they never knew.

Criss-crossing the country, through good times and bad, 108 has always followed me, like an angel looking over as me, keeping me safe and guiding me toward the right decisions. As I’ve aged, 108’s meaning has deepened - representing both the free spirited, life-loving father, as well as the spiritual presence that held me and guided me.

Now resettled in Denver, tutu & boo has been reborn as 108 with a refined aesthetic and focus on true streetwear with moments of rockstar and iconic figures.  

108 is one of a kind handmade clothing art made from reclaimed, rescued and recycled fabrics. There is so much hard work, love and gratitude woven into each piece, by hand, you will feel like you are wearing your soul.

with love and gratitude,

Beth Barbier