Forever 21–the homage to cheap and chic that’s almost (but not quite) as ubiquitous on the streets of Manhattan as that other homage to cheap and chic, H&M–is apparently preaching the gospel with every sale. Deborah Kolben, a staff writer at The New York Sun, reports in her article, “Evangelism in Fashion” that:
Forever 21, a popular chain of cheap-chic clothes with stores throughout New York, is literally spreading the Gospel with every sale. When customers leave the shopping emporium with bags full of red cocktail dresses and panties emblazoned with phrases like “Y is for Yummy,” few realize that they are also walking away with a bit of religion.The owners of the company are devout Christians who print in small type on the bottom of the company’s iconic yellow shopping bags the words: “John 3:16.”
One of the most frequently referenced passages of the Bible, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Anyone who has ever stepped into Forever 21 knows that the clothing on the racks is not exactly the height of Christian modesty, and Kolben leads her article with what seems the burning question about Forever 21′s Christian affinities: “What would Jesus say about that backless halter minidress?”
posted September 9, 2006 at 8:06 pm
Forever 21 is in California as well. They stole our idea – we were the first ones to start printing John 3:13 on the bottom of out french fry trays. And we are about to file a suit against Forever 21 because of braking copyright law and stealing our idea.>