Uno Ace was founded by a young dreamer by the name of Alex Bakker—but most people just know him as AB.

Uno Ace started with him in Haiti. From an orphanage to adoption in Minnesota, his escape was creativity. He’d lock himself in his room for hours, sketching tees, characters, and whole worlds out of pure imagination.

Classmates clowned him for it, but a few believed. At 17, he dropped his first tees in high school—word spread fast, and soon everybody wanted a custom. The school tapped him to design for their extracurricular program. At 18, while clocking shifts at Chick-fil-A, he got asked to design shirts for their field day. That’s when Uno Ace stopped being “just drawings” and started becoming a movement.

What began in one kid’s room became a brand with real traction. Every design carried the same message: we all have an Ace inside us. A wild card placed by God. Unlock it, and you don’t just change your life—you change the lives around you.

These are the past archives—the blueprint that shaped what we know today as the Ace Core: wear your gift, live your purpose, and never fold on who you are.

Archives

Secrets Collection — The First Shoot

On December 20, 2024, AB introduced the world to the Secrets sweater/jogger collection—a project designed to honor his city, Oak Ridge. Known in history as the “Secret City” for its hidden role in the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge carried a legacy that matched the theme.

AB brought together four classmates—three models and one photographer—and chose Civic Center Park as the stage. At the heart of it stood the Oak Ridge Bell, a landmark he turned into a centerpiece of the story. Together, the five of them planned, posed, and captured Uno Ace’s very first photoshoot.

But Secrets went deeper than just place and fabric. It represented the idea that we all carry secrets inside us—things we hide, protect, or struggle to share. Oak Ridge’s identity and our own hidden truths collided in this collection, creating a powerful double meaning.

What started that day wasn’t just a photoshoot—it was the first chapter of Uno Ace’s visual archive. Secrets set the tone: a brand rooted in history, honesty, and the mission to help people unlock the parts of themselves they keep unseen.

AVID Collaboration — The First School Project

On January 28, 2025, an Oak Ridge High School classmate and friend approached AB with a request during senior year: their extracurricular group, AVID, needed custom t-shirts. Their usual supplier had backed out, and time was running out. AB agreed to step in.

The process wasn’t flawless—there were delays and a few mistakes—but AB refused to fold. He refined the design, pushed through the setbacks, and by February 24 he was up at 6 a.m. delivering the shirts on time.

The students were more than satisfied—they were proud to wear the shirts, snapping photos and sending them back to AB. It was a full-circle moment: the same school that once teased him for sketching t-shirts was now his first official collaboration.

The AVID project became more than just a delivery—it was proof that Uno Ace could take challenges, flip them, and turn them into milestones.

 

Chick-fil-A Field Day — The First Corporate Collab

On June 1, 2025, while working shifts at Chick-fil-A in Oak Ridge, AB’s managers approached him with an opportunity. They wanted to do something fun for their employees—a Field Day—and asked AB to handle the t-shirts. The designs were already sketched; they just needed him to bring them to life.

With only seven days to deliver, AB locked in and got to work. By June 8, 2025, the shirts were finished and handed over on time. The staff was more than satisfied—they had something custom, personal, and made by one of their own.

This marked a huge step: at just 18 years old, AB completed his first collaboration with a corporate name. What started as sketches in his room had now become a fast-food collab, proving Uno Ace’s reach was growing beyond classmates and into businesses.