Dajana Piwowaski wants to testify of her faith through her clothes
T-shirts from JOHNFOURSIXTEEN testify about Christian values. Photo Instagram, john.four.sixteen
Central Europe
The German Dajana Piwowaski wants to use clothing as a means to assert Christian values. "I want to be like Jesus."
The 27-year-old Piwowaski from Mainz started the fashion lable JOHNFOURSIXTEEN, she tells InRLP in an interview. The name of her clothing line refers to the Bible text "God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."
Piwowaski chose this specific Bible text because it "reminds us of the values of our brand every day", the website of the clothing brand reads. "Our goal is big, but all the more important: more love and mutual respect in our togetherness (…) God commanded to love one's neighbour, whether old or young, woman or man. We all have dignity."
Warm
Faith is important for her, says the founder of the clothing brand. "Faith is my absolute anchor, my absolute teacher and my absolute ideal", she tells InRLP. At the same time, she stresses that her faith has not as much to do with religion as with values. "I would like to be a person who gives love and is warm", Piwowaski calls it. She often asks herself the question: "What would Jesus have done?"
She started her business two and a half years ago during the Covid pandemic, PRO writes. Actually, Piwowaski only wanted to design a sweater for herself, but her project grew into a business of multiple people.
Gospel
Clothes are a way to express who you are and show your personality, is the opinion of the German clothing line. Therefore, they can also be connected to faith, the website reads. "We are happy if our clothes bring you a little closer to your faith. We want to lead by example and live the values we stand for, with the hope of reaching out to people to whom we can share our beliefs." With Christian clothing, they want to "preach the Gospel shamelessly, authentically and without obligation."
At the same time, the Christian messages on the garments are not flashy. Anyone should be able to wear them, regardless of whether they are Christians or not, Piwowasky explains. She does not want to limit the values of JOHNFOURSIXTEEN to one faith, and the brand does not "see itself as absolute in any way."
Charitable causes
In line with their principles, Piwowasky and her team attempt to make their clothing as sustainable as possible. For example, they are made to last a long time in contrast to so-called "fast fashion" that is worn a few times and thrown out. In addition, the clothing is produced without plastics as much as possible and made only in "factories with high ethical standards in terms of sustainability and fair wages", the website reads.
In addition, Piwowasky shares her profits with "charitable causes", such as "Becoming a Butterfly". The latter is an organisation that promotes children's resilience. Becoming a Butterfly calls itself the "visionary work of JOHNFOURSIXTEEN".
The goal of the fashion label is to change the clothing industry "away from acting for pure greed without regard for the impact on people and the environment."
Related Articles
