A new analysis of data from the Retail Industry Leaders Association reveals faith apparel is growing fast, and brands with the most faith-related merchandise sales are among the fastest growing brands in the industry.
The group surveyed retailers, asking them which faith-based apparel brands were the fastest-growing in the apparel industry over the past 12 months, and the top 10 fastest-rising in terms of sales.
Among the top-selling faith-themed clothing items was the T-shirt and hoodie line Faiths of Hope.
Faiths had more than 8,000 orders, and in June, it posted $20 million in sales.
The clothing brand also was the top seller of a range of Christian apparel and accessories, including shirts, hats, scarves, mugs and accessories.
For example, the Tshirt and Hoodie Faiths brand ranked as the fastest selling item in June with $8 million in retail sales, followed by the $20 hoodie Faith’s and $5 hoodie of Hope, both of which sold $1 million in June.
It also ranked as a top seller in September with $3 million in its sales, and again in October with $1.5 million.
The Faiths clothing line was also the fastest to expand since June, when the retailer added another item to the roster: a shirt featuring the image of a Christian woman kneeling on the cross.
It’s the first shirt to feature the image since August.
Faiths’ biggest increase was in the sales of its women’s apparel and shoes, which jumped to $1,200 million in the same 12-month period, up 8.6 per cent.
The company also saw an 8.7 per cent increase in the women’s merchandise sales, which is more than double the jump for the men’s clothing and shoes.
The retailer also saw the fastest growth in its clothing and accessories categories, which grew 8.9 per cent, from $1 billion in June to $5 billion in the 12-months ended Sept. 30.
Its apparel and footwear sales were up 1.5 per cent from June.
