MERCHANTS of the CLOTH
When 30 models stroll down the runway this afternoon in a hotel meeting room near Disneyland, hundreds of buyers from retail stores around the country will witness a fashion show with a twist.
Rather than highlighting the latest garb from a New York fashion house, the spotlight will fall on a new line of “inspirational” apparel that’s designed with Christian women in mind.
The models will wear vests with bright sketches of Noah’s Ark, dress shirts decorated with stylishly rendered angels and sponge-painted T-shirts with messages that are worlds away from the hellfire and brimstone of old.
“A lot of Christian apparel, especially the ‘repent or die’ stuff, can really turn some people off,” said Gregg Gray, chief executive officer and co-founder of Fullerton-based Gregg Manufacturing, which is hosting the show in conjunction with the Christian Booksellers Assn.’s week-long meeting which begins today at the Anaheim Convention Center. “We’re offering a subtle way for Christian women who don’t want to get in someone’s face.”
Inspirational apparel now accounts for just 1.1%, or $30 million, of the $3-billion and growing Christian-oriented retail industry. But the apparel sector, along with computer software and jewelry, is catching the eye of Christian retailers because it enjoys one of the retail sector’s hottest growth rates.
Apparel industry observers are especially intrigued by new apparel lines from companies like Gregg Manufacturing that are aimed at Christians who want a more fashionable way of making a statement of their faith.
And, while the messages are decidedly religious, clothing companies are using secular marketing techniques that have been honed by many of Orange County’s cutting-edge surf apparel companies.
The inspirational apparel business has been dominated by what industry insiders “affectionately call ‘turn or burn’ messages,” said Bill Conine, president of Diamante Music Group, a Newport Beach-based company that distributes merchandise to Christian retailers.
T-shirts and ball caps with in-your-face slogans and overtly religious artwork made popular by companies like Living Epistles, based in Klamath Falls, Ore., remain popular with younger Christian consumers who are comfortable with using their clothing as a billboard.
Manufacturers report that many younger consumers want hotter, hipper fashions that can hold their own with the best of the secular market.
Companies like Gregg Manufacturing also envision a potentially lucrative market among older, more affluent Christians who are looking for a fashion-forward way to spread their own personal gospel.
Carnegie, Pa.-based Exodus Productions added more upscale items to its T-shirt line in the early 1990s as its customer base began to age. “At that point we knew inspirational apparel was no longer just for kids,” said Exodus Productions spokesman Richard Heaton.
As competition heats up for limited space on Christian retail store shelves, Joseph’s coat of many colors is giving way to stylish sports and leisure-wear running the gamut from baseball warm-up jackets to tennis togs.
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The fashion revolution also is creating higher prices as manufacturers move beyond simple T-shirts.
Ransom Soulwear in La Mesa, for example, features a $39 polo shirt and Irvine-based Truth Clothing offers $36 flannel shirts. Gregg Manufacturing’s afternoon fashion show will showcase a $36.95 tapestry vest, while Exodus Productions reports strong interest in $59 hockey jerseys bearing a “Messiah” logo.
Christian apparel might be defined by its message, but it’s increasingly being marketed on the strength of its designs.
Manufacturers are struggling to balance often-conflicting forces as they pump up the volume on fashion and tone down inspirational messages inherent in Christian apparel.
Eric Hannah, co-founder of Truth Clothing, a small, privately held concern, argues that Christian apparel companies no longer can afford to ignore fashion realities.
“Hip is a word I hate to use, but what we need to do is deliver a message in a hip way that will appeal to image- and fashion-oriented people who like good clothing,” Hannah said.
Truth Clothing’s line, for example, shares many of the same colors and styles as the secular surf-and-skate market. And its new line of junior women’s shirts mirrors the “retro” look that’s popular on many high school campuses.
“The kids are telling us by what they buy that our competition is out there in the real world,” Hannah said. “Consumers are the ones making those decisions on what they think is hip.”
The same rule applies for older consumers, particularly upscale Christians who associate well-known brand names like Levi’s and the Gap with quality and value.
“We’re the yuppie generation, and we know that so many people our age are logo oriented when it comes to clothing,” said 37-year-old Jaime Cuadra, president and co-founder of Ransom Soulwear. “We’re definitely patterning ourselves after the Quiksilvers, the Billabongs, the companies that have strong logos.”
Most of the Christian logos--including Truth, Ransom and Exodus--take their names from Biblical references.
But because of their stylish designs, Cuadra said, “people don’t have to feel like they’re standing out in a crowd to deliver a message. We think our clothing can be worn any place, any time at any occasion.”
The mix of fashion and faith has raised some eyebrows as manufacturers use hockey jerseys and men’s neckties to spread inspirational messages. But there are obvious limits, Hannah said: ‘You’re just never going to see Truth teddies. It just won’t happen.”
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As savvy Christian apparel industry executives rush to build market share, they’re using tried-and-true marketing and advertising techniques that secular clothing companies use.
Gregg Manufacturing is using a fashion show--albeit a decidedly low-key affair compared to what Big Apple apparel houses have to offer--to introduce its new women’s apparel line during the Christian Booksellers Assn. week-long trade show, which will draw an estimated 12,000 attendees to the Anaheim Convention Center.
Irvine-based Truth Clothing is using music and sports to market itself to youngsters. It manufactures T-shirts for some of the Christian rock world’s top bands and its crafted videos of youthful Californians--wearing Truth’s shirts, shorts and caps--have been aired by ESPN2 during its “extreme games” coverage.
Companies like Gregg Manufacturing also are spending heavily to produce savvy catalogs that hold up well when compared to the catalog industry’s tough standards. “We think we’ve taken the catalogs to a new level,” said Gregg Manufacturing co-founder Debbie Gray.
But the eventual fate of Christian apparel, fashion industry observers say, will be determined by whether manufacturers can overcome retail barriers that stalled many of Southern California’s promising surf apparel companies in recent decades.
The new apparel lines are pushing for space on Christian retail store shelves at a crucial point in the industry’s development. Most stores--as the Christian Booksellers Assn. trade group’s name suggests--began life as Bible and book retailers.
But book sales now drive just about 40% of the industry’s sales, and stores have evolved into mini-department stores that offer everything from compact discs and videos to religious art, gifts and apparel.
Most stores lack changing rooms and many owners lack the capital to add splashy retail display areas.
Gregg Manufacturing is experimenting with a kiosk that will double as a changing room and display space for its new line. And Truth and Ransom have developed in-store racks that showcase their logos.
Conine, who’s spent 22 years in the Christian products distribution business, describes proper merchandising and display as “the biggest challenge ahead” for manufacturers like Truth Clothing and Ransom.
“We’ve got to teach Christian bookstores how to sell clothing,” Heaton agreed. “We’ve been trying, and I’ll tell you, it ain’t been easy.”
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Christian Clothing
Inspirational clothing sales increased 14.2% at Christian Booksellers Assn. stores last year. Percent sales increase from 1994-95.
Software
Jewelry
Clothing
Gifts
Books
Bibles
Source: Christian Booksellers Assn.; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times
