In a previous article, we shared our best Christian brands of 2019, and the making of this article took some serious research – which took like, forever! In this post, our CEO, Lao K, shares what he learned on his quest…
To put some numbers to it, I sniffed out over 50 individual brands; there are certainly more than 50 Christian clothing brands out there, but there were a number of shops that I completely skipped over because I was interested in specific brands although a few hybrid brands that are also shops made it into my list. Finally, there were many sites that were not active or well-presented; I also had to skip these.
To find the brands I drew upon several resources: my friends, Google, blog posts and of course, Instagram (by the way, if you’re a Christian clothing brand and you’re not on Instagram, what are you doing?! It’s not by force, but it’s an excellent way to access your target market).
Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
A number of brands on the list showed up in comments on my Instagram post that invited Christian brands to share their usernames (brands, see below on how to get yourself on the list for future reviews and rewards).
So what did I learn?
The learning never stops
One of the first things that hit me was that I have so much to learn about the business – and I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years! Some of the most successful people are committed to continuous learning.
One way to grow in any field is to look for the path already trodden. This isn’t the same as copying what other people are doing, but I admit it’s very similar. It involves being able to look at what someone else has done and ask yourself, why have they done this? Why has it worked? If you understand what they did, you can consider using a similar idea or approach for your own product or project.
For me, I realised that I needed to make a number of changes to the Many Crowns website. Some were more substantial than others; for instance, I decided that our strapline wasn’t really saying anything. By this, I mean that so many other brands were basically saying the same thing. Generally, when that happens, your message becomes noise. I realised it was far better to simply state what we do – you can check out our home page to see what I mean.
Photo by Med Badr Chemmaoui on Unsplash
The field is huge
The second thing I realised was that there is so much ground to cover. For someone who’s looking to find out more about Christian brands globally, trust me, it’s a full-time job! There are tons of brands to be found out there, but you’ll require some perseverance and a good chunk of time on your hands. Thankfully, I’ve made an epic list that saves you all the hassle I went through!
I came across some amazing brands – for instance, Love Your Neighbour, based in Switzerland, who are all about spreading a message of love, aligning with the second greatest commandment from God. They present their brand with a style and quality that makes them very attractive.
It reminded me that we have great businesses in the Kingdom of God, and they should be celebrated; this is one of the reasons we started the Many Crowns Awards.
I’m not sure if this is still a stigma, but growing up, I was led to believe that Christian businesses were lame/corny/unprofessional. Now I know they’re not, and I think everyone else should know it too (if you agree, check out my other articles and be sure to share the brands I’ve highlighted with your friends).
I was also impressed by the success of some of the brands I had come across. I know that Instagram following is not necessarily an accurate gauge of business success, but it is an indicator of interest. The number of years running is another indicator, and I’ve come across a few brands that have been around for several years and have the numbers to prove it.
There’s strength in numbers
Finally, I was encouraged. It’s so easy to start believing that you’re the only one following your dream, but when you look around and see so many pouring their hearts into their businesses for the King of Kings, it strengthens you.
Looking ahead, I believe we’ll see more brands emerge, and I think we’re going to see quality and awareness increase with them. I also believe that communities will form, not just around these brands but around other Christian businesses too. I see a true Kingdom economy on the horizon, and I’m honoured and humbled to be part of the story.
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash