By: Luci Schwarz / March 25, 2020

“What do I wear today?” has been a daily question that people have been asking themselves every day for nearly their entire lives. From parents choosing outfits for their newborns to adults searching for something to don at their job, it is safe to assume that in modern society clothing has a lot to say about an individual. As such, most people around the globe are able to promote their personalities and interests through their apparel choices. A girl wearing a Beatles shirt is announcing her love for a rock band while similarly a boy who chooses to wear a Call of Duty t-shirt is presenting himself as someone who enjoys a video game. On the other hand, black dress pants may indicate formality while sweatpants clue in others that this person is going for a comfortable look. I think you get the picture.

What we wear is the first element that other people notice about us; this is important in modern times as judgement circulates around us and others all the time. Anytime you look at someone you’ve made an opinion based on the way they look, the way they have dressed, the way they walk and etcetera. For most people it’s very important then that the clothing they choose represents who they are as it is an element they control while they may not be able to get a handle on, to name a few things people may be self-conscious of (but really shouldn’t as God is accepting of all), their stutter, their height, their race or their weight.

For those of us who have chosen to walk a faith-based life, however that may look like for various individuals, the word of God is a large part of our day to day practices and the morals that we do our best to stay aligned with. What we wear should reflect that then, right?

Perhaps not.

It is interesting to note that when you step outside it’s a rare occurrence to find a person wearing faith based apparel.

If clothing is such an important aspect of a person’s life and God is the center of our lives, why isn’t Christian apparel as popular as more secular outfits?

I’ve done a bit of research and found several points that may provide an answer to this burning question:

The Lack of Christian Apparel in the Industry

It’s really no secret that the most popular clothing brands in the industry are not outwardly, or obviously, faith-based in any way. While that’s not necessarily a negative thing in of itself, it is concerning that for Christians who may want to select a certain style that aligns with their religion the options are slim to none.
After all, if one takes the time to go through the types of clothing available in the world they’ll find thousands upon thousands of designs tailored to various body types and personal tastes. For Christians, while stores exist, there are far fewer options.

As we’ve noted what people wear is important to them and how they present themselves to others. The two points that people need to be sold on to purchase an item is that the style is to their liking and they agree with the message it sends. To absolve this issue there would need to be more Christian clothing styles that are both widespread and available to faith-based consumers. This includes sites like ours which feature more casual yet stylish products to bohemian, edgy, comfortable and etcetera.

Christians Don’t Want to Be “In Other People’s Faces”

A lot of Christians may feel that by wearing religious-based outfits it may feel as if they are “throwing” their beliefs in the faces of others. This is a concept that is a bit more difficult to explain since many people do not have an issue wearing a shirt with an American flag or a sweatshirt with the name of their university. The difference here is that these are secular, or worldly, objects and places. Religion however has always been and always will be one of the most controversial implementations of life.

The fact of the matter is: this world is diverse. People have different beliefs.

Do we, as Christians, really want to go out their wearing our John 3:16 shirts at the risk of offending someone else who may not appreciate our message?

The answer should be yes but it’s not as black and white as it should be. We want others to respect our choices of apparel but at the risk of confrontation, we simply do not. It’s the easier path.

If we want others to respect faith-based clothing, the gesture must be returned to those who wear clothing we do not appreciate. That is perhaps the hardest aspect of this all. While we do not need to agree with their messages, we do not need to attack anyone for their personal choices.

We cannot control what others may do about our chosen method to represent our faith but we can control how we respond. We find our answers for these situations written in the book of Matthew:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”
MATTHEW 5:38-39 (NIV)

Religious Apparel is “Corny”

A more preferential and opinion based reason for not seeing a lot of Christian apparel in the market could be that people find it corny. Some may find the designs that are available to be “too preachy” or “kind of lame.” Opinions like these are not uncommon especially when blog posts are available through the Internet such as “The 60 Worst Christan T-Shirts ever” exist to give credibility to the stereotype that faith-based apparel is cringy. While the article is comedic in nature and does not apply to all Christian manufacturers it does manage to add fuel to the pre-existing fire.

The way to remedy this belief is not a clear cut path. Regardless of what happens, people will only wear what they find to be truthful to who they are and if that shirt is corny or ugly, it won’t be purchased. As previously mentioned, but a prevalent point regardless, having more Christian clothing that can promote God and our religion will create more of an assortment for people to choose from. The Christians who are currently opposed to the designs that exist now may then become more comfortable with sharing their faith in a way that is genuine to their personalities.

God Should Not Be Branded

The idea of “branding religion” is quite a dilemma in the controversy of whether or not faith should be branded through industries and clothing. Some believe that pushing faith into a business perspective alters it from the truth and may rub people in the wrong way.

However, it is our belief, here at eternaltees, that the ability to market to millions of people is a blessing that exists in the modern world and should be utilized for God’s kingdom. It’s an effective method we can use to spread the light of Jesus and introduce others to the word because clothing is so important. It is a tool for preaching and self expression that we believe should not be ignored.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

MATTHEW 28:19 (ESV)
At eternaltees we believe that God has tasked us to use our gifts in His name and that is what we intend to do. Thank you for supporting us, we greatly appreciate it! God bless.