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                                                                    Exhibit 10.8

                      TROPICAL SPORTSWEAR INT'L CORPORATION
                             4902 WEST WATERS AVENUE
                            TAMPA, FLORIDA 33634-1302

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Memorandum of Agreement

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TO:               Mr. Michael Kagan

FROM:             Board of Directors

DATE:             August 11, 2003 (the "Effective Date")

RE:               Employment Arrangement

         We are pleased to confirm the terms of your employment arrangement with
the Company.

         You are employed by the Company as its Chief Executive Officer. The
term of your employment will be for twelve months, but the term will
automatically renew every day for an additional day so that there will be a
continuously remaining term of twelve months.

         Your annual base salary is $500,000. You will also receive paid
vacation and holidays and fringe benefits (including health and life insurance
and other welfare benefits) comparable to that received by other officer-level
employees of the Company.

         Your employment may be terminated by the Company, with or without
cause, upon written notice from the Company setting forth the termination date.

         During the term of your employment and for the twelve-month period
following the termination of your employment, regardless of the reason for such
termination, you agree to abide by the following restrictive covenants. All
terms in quotation marks are defined below.

         (a)          You understand and agree that the Company's "Confidential
Information" and "Trade Secrets" constitute valuable assets of the Company and
its affiliated entities and may not be used by you for your own personal use.
Accordingly, you agree that you will not, directly or indirectly, disclose to
any Person any Confidential Information or any Trade Secret or otherwise use any
Confidential Information or Trade Secret in connection with any business
activity outside of the Company. This provision is not intended to prohibit you
from disclosing or using Confidential Information or any Trade Secret to the
extent required by law, court order, or other legal process; however, if any
disclosure is so required, you will provide the Company with written notice of
such requirement prior to making the required disclosure.

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         (b)      You also agree that you will not, directly or indirectly, for
yourself or for the benefit of any other Person or as a "Principal or
Representative" of any "Person", solicit or induce any "Protected Employee" to
terminate his or her employment relationship with the Company or to become
employed by any other Person.

         (c)      You also agree that you will not, directly or indirectly,
solicit or take away any "Protected Customer for the purpose of selling or
providing "Competitive Services."

         (d)      You also agree that you will not, directly or indirectly,
solicit or take away any "Protected Supplier" for the purpose of acquiring or
purchasing goods or services in connections with selling or providing
Competitive Services.

         (e)      You also agree that you will not, directly or indirectly, seek
or obtain a "Competitive Position" in the "Restricted Territory" with a
"Competitor."

         Because any violation of these restrictive covenants would cause
irreparable injury to the Company that cannot be compensated for adequately by
monetary damages, you understand and agree that in the event you violate any of
these restrictive covenants, the Company has the right to preliminarily and
permanently enjoin you from such violations and to have the restrictive
covenants specifically enforced against you. In addition, the Company may
require you to account for and pay over to the Company any compensation or
profits or other benefits that you have improperly derived as a result of a
violation of any of the restrictive covenants.

         The definitions of the terms in quotation marks relating to the
restrictive covenants are as follows:

         "Competitive Position" means any employment with a Competitor in which
         you will use or is likely to use any Confidential Information or Trade
         Secrets, or in which you have duties for such Competitor that relate to
         Competitive Services and that are the same or similar to those services
         actually performed by you for the Company;

         "Competitive Services" means the merchandising, manufacturing,
         distribution, selling or marketing of apparel products.

         "Competitor" means any Person engaged, wholly or in part, in
         Competitive Services.

         "Confidential Information" means all information regarding the Company,
         its activities, business or clients that is the subject of reasonable
         efforts by the Company to maintain its confidentiality and that is not
         generally disclosed by practice or authority to persons not employed by
         the Company, but that does not rise to the level of a Trade Secret.
         "Confidential Information" shall include, but is not limited to, sales
         and marketing techniques and plans, lists of contact data, technical
         data relating to the Company's products or production techniques,
         purchase and supply information, details of client or consultant
         contracts, current and anticipated customer requirements, pricing
         policies, client billing information, price lists, market studies,
         business plans, operational methods, marketing plans or strategies,
         product development techniques or plans, financial plans and data
         concerning the Company, and management planning information.
         "Confidential Information" shall not include information that has
         become generally available to the public by the act of one who has the
         right to disclose such information without violating any right or
         privilege of the Company. This definition shall not limit any
         definition of "confidential information" or any equivalent term under
         state or federal law.

         "Person" means any individual or any corporation, partnership, joint
         venture, limited liability

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         company, association or other entity or enterprise.

         "Principal or Representative" means a principal, owner, partner,
         shareholder, joint venture partner, investor, member, trustee,
         director, officer, manager, employee, agent, representative or
         consultant.

         "Protected Customers" means any Person to whom the Company has sold its
         products or services or solicited to sell its products or services
         during the twelve (12) months prior to the termination Date. However, a
         Person is a Protected Customer only if: (a) you had business dealings
         with the Protected Customer on the Company's behalf; or (b) you were
         responsible for supervising or coordinating the dealings between the
         Company and the Protected Customer or (c) you obtained Trade Secrets or
         Confidential Information about the Protected Customer as a result of
         his association with the Company.

         "Protected Employees" means employees of the Company who were employed
         by the Company at any time within six (6) months prior to the date of
         the termination of your employment with the Company.

         "Protected Suppliers" means any person from whom the Company has
         purchased products or services or solicited to purchase products or
         services during the twelve (12) months prior to the termination Date.
         However, a Person is a Protected Supplier only if: (a) you had business
         dealings with the Protected Supplier on the Company's behalf; or (b)
         you were responsible for supervising or coordinating the dealings
         between the Company and the Protected Supplier or (c) you obtained
         Trade Secrets or Confidential Information about the Protected Supplier
         as a result of his association with the Company.

         "Restricted Territory" means the United States and North, Central, and
         South America, the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Australia, New
         Zealand, and Fiji. The Company and you acknowledge and agree that the
         Company and its subsidiaries do business and sell men's, women's, boys'
         and girls' sportswear (tops and bottoms) in all 50 states of the United
         States and in each other country in the Restricted Territory.

         "Trade Secret" means all information regarding the Company, without
         regard to form, including, but not limited to, technical or
         nontechnical data, a formula, a pattern, a compilation, a program, a
         device, a method, a technique, a drawing, a process, financial data,
         financial plans, product plans, distribution lists or a list of actual
         or potential customers, advertisers or suppliers which is not commonly
         known by or available to the public and which information: (a) derives
         economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to,
         and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons
         who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (b) is
         the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to
         maintain its secrecy. Without limiting the foregoing, Trade Secret
         means any item of Confidential Information that constitutes a "trade
         secret(s)" under the common law or statutory law of the State of
         Florida.

         After your employment is terminated by the Company, you agree to return
to the Company any of the Company's property in your possession, which would
include manuals, pamphlets, instructional materials, computer programs,
software, art work, financial information, or any copyrightable material.

         This Memorandum relating to your employment arrangement with the
Company is intended to be a contract binding on you and the Company, and each of
our respective heirs, successors, and assigns. The terms of this Memorandum are
governed by the laws of the State of Florida, and you agree that personal
jurisdiction for any proceeding brought pursuant to this Memorandum shall be in
the appropriate county or circuit court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit for
Hillsborough County, Florida or the Federal District Court of the Middle
District of Florida,

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Hillsborough County Division. Venue for any legal action arising under this
Memorandum will be in Hillsborough County, Florida.

         The terms of this Memorandum may only be changed or amended in a
written document signed by the Company and you.

         Any notice that is given under this Memorandum will be given to the
Company at the address set forth above and to you at your home address as it
appears on the records of the Company at such time.

         This Memorandum is intended to take the place of any other employment
agreement or arrangement that you may have with the Company, and any such other
agreement or arrangement is terminated as of the Effective Date; however, you
agree that any payments or benefits to you or to the Company or otherwise that
may be required under such other agreements or arrangements in the event of
termination do not apply.

         If you are in agreement with the terms and conditions of your
employment by the Company as described in this Memorandum, please sign below.

                                  TROPICAL SPORTSWEAR
                                   INT'L CORPORATION

                                  By: /s/ Eloy S. Vallina-Laguera
                                  Print Name: /s/ Eloy S. Vallina-Laguera
                                  Title: Chairman of the Board
                                  Dated: January 7, 2004,
                                  but effective for all purposes as of the
                                  Effective Date

                   [Your signature is on the following page.]

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APPROVED AND AGREED TO:

/s/ Michael Kagan
MICHAEL KAGAN
Dated: January 7, 2004
but effective for all purposes as of the Effective Date

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