Biblical appeal: Palmer Lake company flaunts Christian themes on clothing

Proclaim your faith on your backside.

A fledgling Palmer Lake clothing company hopes that's exactly what you'll want to do.

Castle Rock Jeans & Apparel, 780 Colorado Highway 105, is rolling out high-end jeans with a back pocket decorated with a Christianrelated symbol and a corresponding biblical verse inside the waistband.

The line, called His Spirit Jeans, fills a market niche for Christian clothes while spreading the Gospel, said company President Bob Beard, 66.

"We want to be in good taste, fashion-balanced and at the same time impart an inspirational message," Beard said.

The connection between symbol and verse on His Spirit Jeans is sometimes obvious, sometimes not.

One pair is decorated with the Greek letters alpha and omega, and inside the waistband is Revelation 22:13: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

Another pair not-so-subtly combines American nationalism and religion. The symbol: the presidential seal. The verse: Psalms 33:12 - "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."

And then there is the obscure. Symbol: coat of arms with a cross. Verse: 2 Timothy 2:22 - "Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart."

"We are trying to present a fashion look that would not be of fensive to anyone and have appeal outside Christians," said Beard, an evangelical Christian.

For three years, Beard has run a successful business importing clothing lines from South America to the United States. One year ago, Beard and his wife, Ann, had a "eureka" moment: Motivated by their religious faith, they decided to sell jeans that would convey a subtle Christian message, the couple said. They also sell hoodies and T-shirts emblazoned with biblical sayings.

Creation of the jeans begins with the Beards sketching designs based on Christian and Greek symbols. They send the sketches to a Colombian factory contracted to manufacture and embroider the jeans.

The company recently received its third shipment from the manufacturer - 6,500 denim jeans for adult women and juniors.

Yet hardly anyone knows the company exists.

"Everything about our jeans has been word-of-mouth," Beard said.

At this point, the merchandise can be purchased online at castlerockjeans.com, and at The Love Shop, a clothing and gift boutique in Monument. Focus on the Family bookstore sells the shirts and hoodies.

Since fall, the company has sold a few hundred jeans online, and sales are building every day, Beard said. The company plans to concentrate mainly on online sales while adding a few select retail boutiques.

Love Shop owner Kathi Schuler said she carries the products because they fit in with the store's inspirational merchandise. While the shop has sold a handful of juniors jeans, most sales have been of the hoodies.

"I love the hoodies," Schuler said. "They are so cute."

Castle Rock Jeans' target audience stretches from teens to retirees, though its marketing is skewed toward younger shoppers.

Photos on its Web site and the action in its soon-to-be-released video advertisements on YouTube.com and GodTube.com feature thin, young women in hiphugging denim.

Beard plans to add His Spirit Jeans for men and a new line called Imposter, knock-offs of brand-name ladies' jeans that sell for a fraction of the price. Inside the waistband will be a biblical verse.

Castle Rock Jeans is donating 7 percent of its profits to charities and ministries, said Larry Dyer, the company's vice president of logistics.

Dyer, a 40-year-old Colorado Springs police officer, said he's taken some ribbing from his colleagues since joining the company in October.

"I come into work and they say, ‘How are your Jesus Jeans today?'" Dyer said, laughing.

DETAILS

In addition to jeans, Castle Rock Jeans & Apparel sells T-shirts and hoodies with biblical sayings. Jeans for women and juniors cost $59 to $89. Most T-shirts are $14.95. Hoodies are $49.95. Find the clothes at castlerockjeans.com; The Love Shop, 251 Front St., Monument; or Focus on the Family bookstore, 8685 Explorer Drive.