ABHMS’ Min. Dr. Chantá Barrett emcees at 2024 Christian Fashion Week
VALLEY FORGE, PA (06/28/2024)—“Christian fashions aren’t just about alternative fashion styles; it’s about letting Christians see that they can be both modest and fly,” said Min. Dr. Chantá Barrett, ABHMS’ digital content creator, who emceed at the 2024 Christian Fashion Week (ChristianFW) Local Edition in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The 2024 edition of ChristianFW was a “resurrection” of the event following a multi-year hiatus. In 2019, event organizers thought that year’s edition would be the last. However, faith-based fashion has gained traction in recent years, which opened the doors for ChristianFW’s return.
Eve walks the runway during Christian Fashion Week 2024. Photo courtesy of Jayla Gossette.
Religious fashion is not simply designers referencing religious symbols in their collections, which is a trend with a long history: Coco Chanel acquired the skill of sewing in the Aubazine Abbey where she grew up. She occasionally added a white collar to the famous “little black dress” she created by mirroring the straight cut of nuns’ garments. In their Fall 1997 collection, Versace showcased Byzantine cross embellishments on apparel and cross necklaces, while their 1991–1992 collection featured a biker jacket with a bejeweled Mary and a newborn Jesus on the back. The most religious accessories ever seen in high fashion were showcased in Dolce & Gabbana’s Fall 2013 collection, where cross earrings and baroque shoes were among the accessories.
It is a well-known fact that high-end designers are often inspired by “street fashion,” (i.e., what “regular people” wear), interpreting it in their own way. For some women of faith, the problem with both high-end and street fashion is that it can be too revealing for their tastes. In response, religious designers, bloggers and customers have continuously built communities around religious fashion, which, Barrett noted, is found at the intersection of style and modesty.
Although the notion of what is modest and stylish can be very dynamic, it depends on the time period, location and faith of the wearer. Modest clothing today generally covers up certain regions of the body, such as the midriff, buttocks and thighs, as well as the torso. It can also be intentionally loose to conceal the wearer’s body shape. While in Christian fashion head coverings are generally optional, many Muslim and Jewish women consider them necessary to follow their faiths’ prescriptions.
Barrett has a long history of working for ChristianFW. She first emceed the event in 2019, while being the creator, producer and host of The Chantá Nichole Show. She sees the ChristianFW as a unique opportunity for Christians to realize that “they can be models, designers or producers. It allows them to dream as well as be witnesses for Christ, in whatever industry their gifts and talents flourish.”
The inaugural ChristianFW , a one-day event in 2013 in Tampa, Fla., attracted significant media attention. Reporters from The Associated Press, Huffington Post, Christianity Today, and The Christian Post were among those who admired the showcased garments and stylizations. The 2014 edition expanded to two days, was covered by BuzzFeed.com and featured Bible-inspired floral dresses and shirts with Christian messages.
Models show off the latest designs during Christian Fashion Week 2024. Photo courtesy of Jayla Cossette.
The creators of ChristianFW, Mayra Gomez and Lilian Acome-McClung (Miss Uganda ’97-‘98), have envisioned the event as a “fashion show ministry,” writing on its website: “Our mission is to change the way individuals think about faith, fashion and wellness through events that empower, support and demonstrate a healthy self-esteem, self -expression, diversity and overall wellbeing while giving back to the community.”
From left, Christian Fashion Week 2024 emcee Chantá Barrett with event creators Lilian Acome-McClung and Mayra Gomez. Photo courtesy of SC Studios.
In 2024, ChristianFW featured an impressive lineup of designers and exhibitors. They included Kingdom – Dailia Winn, Jedidah – Jedidah & Abigail Anti, Bracho & Bosch, Alamwar, and Solome Katangole. American-Nigerian music artist B’Kem performed, adding much flair to the proceedings. The event’s charitable beneficiary was the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center, whose mission is to protect victims, prevent violence and empower survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking.
“Christian fashion is important,” asserted Barrett. “Sometimes the reason young people leave the church and try to make their way in a secular context is because the church lacks opportunity for them to exercise their God given gifts and talents,” she explained. “The church needs to do a better job of empowering Christians in ways that allow them to thrive, like the Christian Fashion Week and other events in non-traditional Christian spaces do.”
The organizers of ChristianFW hope to run three shows in Florida, Pennsylvania and West Virginia throughout the 2024-25 fashion season.
By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, senior writer at ABHMS and assistant editor of The Christian Citizen
