The Day My Love for Fashion Collided with God’s Call to Modesty

*ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT!

It all started in the spring of 2014.

I had recently rededicated myself to Christ and was committed to living a life fully submitted to Him.

One afternoon I was rummaging through my closet in search of something to wear. I reached for one of my cropped tops when God spoke a word to me, that at the time, I’d rather have not heard.

As clear as day, God said, “Throw your revealing clothes away.”    

Out of my commitment to being obedient, I grabbed a trash bag, and less than willingly began to remove every questionable piece of clothing from my wardrobe. I tried negotiating with God to keep my short shorts, but He just wasn’t having it. 

Shortly after this incident, God spoke another word to me.

A little back story – I had worked in the fashion industry for about five years at this point and held a managerial position at a rapidly growing company. I had the opportunity to travel all over the world and work in places like Paris, London, and New York.  

I had always dreamed of starting my own business within the industry; however, my ideas didn’t necessarily do anything positive for the Kingdom. The concept promoted an edgy, rebellious attitude, encouraging women to show more skin in the name of “empowerment.” 

But God – being the humorous God that He is – completely shifted my desires and pressed on my heart that He wanted me to start a modest clothing company. 

When I thought of modest clothing companies, the image that immediately came to mind was layers and layers of fabric draped in very unflattering ways. I wouldn’t necessarily pair the words “modest clothing company” and “fashionable” together.

But maybe that’s why God gave me this vision. Could it be that He saw a niche in the market that He needed me to fulfill?

Soon I began to realize that His plan was deeper than just the fashion, He had a message. 

See, all my life I was taught by culture and the media that revealing more of my body would make me feel beautiful, confident, and get me the man of my dreams. 

Oh, the lies the enemy would love us to believe!

Dressing the way that I did only resulted in getting me the wrong kind of attention, and it hindered me from possessing the true confidence that can only be found in Christ.

The scary thing is that I know I’m not the only woman being fed this lie. The culture is becoming more and more hypersexualized by the second, and with the increasing popularity of social media, the “sex sells” image is constantly being pushed in our faces.

I want to reinvent the way the world thinks about modesty. 

I want to inspire this generation of women not to conform to what the world defines as “cool”, but to realize that there is nothing more liberating than unapologetically living to glorify God in every aspect of our lives, including our clothing.

In the fall of 2015, by faith, and with the help of the unarguable nudging of the Holy Spirit, I left my job in the secular fashion industry and have been hard at work turning my passion into purpose with Gracemade, a faith-driven lifestyle brand where faith and fashion coexist. 

Gracemade: Reinventing modesty

My vision is to provide a fashion-forward alternative to dowdy modest apparel and to show women that they can still express their personal style while honoring their faith.

It’s not only a clothing line; it’s also a community.

A community that empowers women to be all that God has created them to be. 

To bring this vision to life, I’ve started a crowdfunding campaign, which allows you, the reader, to join me in my mission to glorify God through fashion. By backing this project, you will not only have the opportunity to snag some amazing perks but also be a part of making an eternal difference.

We have TWO DAYS left to meet the funding goal; visit our campaign page here to get involved and learn more about the brand. 

Jasmine Rennie is the founder of faith-driven fashion start-up, Gracemade. She has a passion for inspiring women to fulfill their God-given purpose, and to live boldly and fearlessly in faith. Jasmine is based in Southern California and is obsessed with Jesus, design, and all things food related. 

You can also find Jasmine and Gracemade on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.