BLACK BUSINESS REVIEW: BLACK MUSTARD SEED IS A MUST SEE CHRISTIAN APPAREL BRAND
STREETWEAR WITH A PURPOSE
For better or worse, 2020 was a year of change for everyone. For most of us, the events of the past 12 months have taken us completely by surprise, but at Faith Church in St. Louis, a pastor by the name of David Crank had began to prepare his congregation for 2020, four years prior. Amongst that congregation was Camille Jones, a successful professional who was steadily climbing the corporate ladder. She had come to St Louis to pursue her career, or so she thought. "It’s funny, I thought God was bringing me to St. Louis for the job but now I think it was because of the church," Camille says. "2020 was the year of change for everyone. And God put in my heart that it was time for change for the better." Fast forward to present day, she is the Co Founder of the Christian apparel brand Black Mustard Seed. The brand infuses her own style with God's Word, forming a style that is nothing short of dope.
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The general concept for Black Mustard Seed came to Camille one night, in a dream. "I dreamt about a black t-shirt that had black black black on it," She says. "And when I woke up, I heard in my mind a melody “black on black on black on black” which is a lyric from a Lecrae song. Lecrae is Christian rapper. I immediately took that as I should make a Christian T-shirt." Of course, she quickly realized all of the elements that come with being an entrepreneur. The designing, the suppliers, the marketing. These are things that her, and her husband and Co Founder Raymond Jones are still working on and cultivating each day.
What stands out about Black Mustard Seed -- and what made us want to work with them to begin with -- is while many self proclaimed Christian apparel brands will slap scripture on a shirt to appeal to people of faith, Black Mustard Seed leads by example. 10% of all profits go to Faith Church, where the founders first realized their purpose. In addition to giving back to the local and global missions and ministries through Faith Church, they donate $1 dollar from each item sold to other Christian Charities with initiatives like including feeding the poor, rescuing the sex trafficked, and prison ministries. Essentially, that's up to 20% of their profit towards righteous work. Potential customers aren't just buying some dope clothes, they're giving back, and supporting a movement.
Having a strong brand narrative and mission is one thing, but Black Mustard Seed's clothing is dope in it's own right. Camille weaves in elements of her own style into each piece. She's a basketball player, from the midwest, with an affinity for streetwear. "I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t playing basketball," She says. "This has been, during the pandemic, the longest period I’ve gone without playing. I’ve always been a hooper in my mind. There’s the baseball cap but the basketball cap is essentially the flat bill snapback. Sneakers and a snapback complete my every outfit. You don’t usually see snapbacks in Christian apparel collections but it’s essential to BMS."
"2020 was the year of change for everyone. And God put in my heart that it was time for change for the better."
In the same manner that Camille's dream led to her taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship, she literally envisions designs. Her goal isn't to make a fast profit with her brand, but rather to communicate revelation and the message of Christ. Entrepreneurship hasn't always been easy -- She's working on the Marketing and Social Media part especially -- and she's had to adjust to working without an entire team to assist her. One thing's for certain though, she's able to be creative on her terms and more importantly, able to serve through her brand. "I get to create with no strings attached," She says. It’s not for a goal set by executive but for what God puts in my heart. I get to create for God with total freedom. Freedom is the most rewarding part about being an entrepreneur. And it’s not like I have free time. I’m grinding everyday and longer hours but at the end of day I’m putting money back int the Kingdom of God."If you're a streetwear head, a Christian, a supporter of black business or all of the above, check out Black Mustard Seed. It's a positive movement doing the Lord's work.