What If You Can't Say It Out Loud?
There are places where you can safely talk about what you believe.
Church Home. Around friends and with people who already understand you and probably believe the same things right?
And then there are places where you probably shouldn't launch into a full theological discussion with a complete stranger. Like the checkout at the supermarket ( think line up and people are time poor)
Or the school pick-up line ( the pressure is real )
Or the doctor's waiting room ( how quiet are these places!!)
Sometimes you simply can't speak. Not because you don't have something to say but because the environment doesn't allow for it without a big interruptive aspect that may result in the words you say not being received and you being perceived as troublesome and out of line.
HONESTLY I think a lot of Christians understand the feeling of being muted and not having a viable option to defer to.
So what do you do?
MAYBE, just maybe YOUR CLOTHING could DO THE TALKING.
Or at the very least – Start the Conversation for you.
In reality, what you wear is communicating something whether we realise it or not. We are constantly giving people little clues about who we are by how we dress
CHOICES OF:
Colour.
Style.
Brands.
Words/ graphics/ symbols
Even the absence of all of those things communicates a choice and style and messaging to a degree.
That's one of the reasons I created Soul Submitted Designs.
Not because I think every Christian needs to walk around wearing a giant Bible verse.
But I actually think faith can be expressed beautifully and subtly on a t shirt or hoodie as
something that feels like you; that works with your existing wardrobe.
That states a gospel message clearly and easily.
For our brand, sometimes that message might be very direct. Think our jesus. collection
Other times it might be a message that invokes a thought. Like our Soul Submitted and CROSS SPEAKS LOVE,
Or invites the question what does that mean ? like our HS=PT and UHIMS designs
Whatever your wardrobe you're saying something with it!
And here's what I love about that.
You don't actually know who is reading your wardrobe choices.
Someone might walk past you and think your shirt looks cool.
Someone else might read it and remember something they haven't thought about in years.
Someone might see it when they're having a terrible day.
Someone might recognise something of themselves in you.
And occasionally, someone will stop you.
I've had this happen.
I’m walking through a shopping centre and suddenly someone shouts out that they love my shirt
Now everybody looks at my shirt
I didn't say a word. But my shirt did.
That was amazingly cool.
We're not always going to have the perfect words.
We're not always going to know what to say.
But we can still represent what matters to us.
Sometimes quietly.
Sometimes boldly.
Sometimes with a little bit of streetwear attitude we can still say:
This is what I believe.
This is who I am.
And this matters to me.
Keep going,
Adele x