By Husayn Allmart

Wearing a spiritual message takes courage. When a message is well-suited to who we really are, and what we believe, we're being real in a way people can sometimes appreciate. If those beliefs are religious—and we are honest and unashamed—then it's at least worthy of respect, or even worthy of inquiry.

Fashion is a way of drawing attention not only to a message on a shirt, but also to how the message is lived. Thus, it becomes an act of truth and honesty, and beyond that, it can translate as a message of hope.

Exploring these intersections—spirituality, clothing, teaching a message, and identity through media—I spoke with three experts in the field to gain some consensus: Haydar Barnes, 26; Nevin Jenkins, 32; and Brehana Rose Vader, 22. Each of them shared a collage of thoughts, wishes, and wisdoms behind their respective Bahá'í t-shirt ventures.

Tell me a little about yourself.

Haydar Barnes: I was born in Benin, and raised in Nigeria and Israel. I went to college in Rochester, New York, and now I live in Brooklyn, New York. I studied graphic design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, after which I moved to New York City and got a job at a design firm. I worked on projects for large tech firms, such as Sony and Minolta, creating brochures, point-of-purchase banners, and so on.

Nevin Jenkins: My company was created for young adults to keep inspiring young people. I was in a Bahá'í youth workshop in Cleveland, Ohio and became a workshop coordinator for many years. The workshop was key to my development as a Bahá'í, putting me at the right places, at the right time, to meet key people with great ideas. My business is education. I am a math teacher who enjoys networking people in my free time. I love to inspire youth. I have no formal training in business. All of my knowledge was learned by hands-on experimenting.

Brehana Rose Vader: I was born in Minnesota. My family moved to Michigan to volunteer at Louhelen Bahá’í School in 1997. I moved to Boston for school in 2001, and attended Simmons College, earning my degree in communications—graphic design and public relations—and art history. I am now 22 years old. I graduated in May 2005. I am married, and we have a son, Milo, who was born in February 2005.

How did you get into offering clothes for sale online?

Brehana: I started mightyfalcon.com because I wanted to use both the business and design skills that I learned in school, and also be home to raise Milo. I'm able to teach and find ways of presenting the Bahá'í Faith through design and fashion. I realized that Bahá'í youth fashion didn't necessarily correspond with popular youth fashion. I wanted to create designs that Bahá'í youth wanted to wear, and could use as teaching tools.

Haydar: About two years ago, I decided to start a t-shirt business. I started with a shirt that did very well. I decided there was a need in the Bahá'í market for cool or contemporary t-shirts. We brainstormed some ideas, made a couple of shirts, and went down to a Nashville, Tennessee conference in December 2003. The shirts were very well-received at the conference. We decided to start soultease.com.

Nevin: Matt Bradford was a roommate of mine. We decided to ask Henry Warren to put a mural on my basement wall. This picture, along with another drawing by Henry that we termed "Crushin' the Isms," sparked the decision to create bahaigear.com. Henry was the artist. Matt was the Web developer extraordinaire, and I was the marketing and business point person. All of the products were developed with the intent of inspiring youth. We felt that there was no creative clothing that Bahá'í young people really wanted to wear that reflected their spirit.

Haydar: As a community, we have been wearing the same t-shirts, singing the same songs, listening to the same music, using the same prayer book covers, and doing the same workshop dances that we were doing 20 to 40 years ago.

How did you come up with the names Soultease and Mighty Falcon?

Brehana: I wanted something that captured the essence of the religion—something symbolic. I knew that I wanted to include the falcon early on, because of all of the Bahá'í writings that reference it. I loved the idea of that noble, regal bird as a symbol for Bahá'í youth.

Haydar: The name Soultease is a play on words. Tease sounds like tees (t-shirts). It's about our playful and youthful nature in general.

What is the link between fashion and pride in identity?

Haydar: Fashion is the physical way people express their identity. There is a direct link: people want to show what they are, at the core, by what they wear. For example, in the early '90s, many African-Americans wore Kente cloth from Ghana to show pride in their heritage. More recently, many kids were wearing those "Jesus is my Homeboy" t-shirts to show their pride in being Christian. Bahá'ís are searching for that sort of expression as well.

What do you hope your products will do?

Haydar: We hope that our products will make younger Bahá'ís proud of their identities as Bahá'ís, and inspire them to be a part of this creative movement taking place from within. We also hope that our products will inspire curiosity in all people. Our ultimate goal is that our shirts, or the music we carry, will cause anyone to ask questions, and want to learn more.

Nevin: Our mission became that everything that was created was to teach, inspire youth to be Bahá'ís, and to feel cool about being a Bahá'í.

Brehana: I hope that these designs will broaden Mighty Falcon's appeal to a wide range of Bahá'í youth, and offer everyone a chance to express their beliefs through Mighty Falcon fashion. I think that in our culture, material things can play a great part in attracting people to the Bahá'í Faith. In my field of public relations, you learn about how to attract people, how to position your "product" to attract those people who are searching for it, even if they don't know that they're looking at the time! If I can create a design that catches their eye, and attracts them to Bahá'u'lláh's words or message, or makes them think, then I've been successful. People everywhere express themselves through words, fashion, music, and so on. Mighty Falcon introduces Bahá'í teachings and texts through fashion.

What does it mean to teach the Bahá'í Faith using clothing? Conversation starter? Name recognition?

Brehana: The most effective way of teaching with clothing in youth culture is as a conversation starter. By wearing something eye-catching and stylish that represents your beliefs, you're able to attract people to ask questions. It may be as simple as the name of Bahá'u'lláh, but it's such a powerful tool.

What do you think is the relationship between material things, like clothes, and the life of the spirit?

Haydar: Creativity in general inspires the soul tremendously. The Bahá'í writings are very clear that the effect of music and art are positive for the soul. Personally, I feel spiritually inspired when I am involved in creative activities, or when I am exposed to creative things. The great thing about graphic t-shirts is that the emphasis is not just on the look or the aesthetic, but also on the concept and the message. In that sense, graphic t-shirts are more than just fashion items. They can have great social or spiritual impact on the wearer and the passer-by. Everything around us is a reflection of who we are as a community. Fashion reflects, and can alter the mood of society, with the use of color, style and themes that are reminiscent of certain periods.

Nevin: You are what you wear. When you wake up in the morning and throw some clothes on, this reflects your attitude for the day. Cleanliness of the mind, body, and soul is key to a happy and joyful life. People want to feel good about themselves. That is why people spend so much money on clothing. Profit was never our focus, and never will be. This is why we sold and promoted the Fort Tabarsi Mix Tape, and will always put our money behind rappers like Thump Digg. As long as a youth feels good about being a Bahá'í, I am a happy man.

What do you see in the future for your venture?

Nevin: The future holds some great things for all of us. I can definitely see this company being given to a youth who wants to use it as a project. If there are people out there with great ideas and phat designs, I want to hear from you. This company has always been about inspiring artists to help us fulfill the needs in our communities world-wide. This company was founded in 2001 and our mission has been fulfilled. I look forward to ensuring that all of our potentials are met in the future.

Brehana: I hope that Mighty Falcon will continue to attract Bahá'í youth with attractive and enticing apparel that can be used as teaching tools. I also hope that we'll be able to branch even further into developing unique, attractive designs for Bahá'í conferences and events throughout the US. I would love to think that in ten years, Mighty Falcon will be the standard brand specifically designed and tailored to the wants and needs of Bahá'í youth everywhere.

Haydar: Soultease has evolved into a community for young Bahá'ís, and an outlet for creative individuals in the community. We hope to continue to inspire creativity within the Bahá'í community. Soultease led us to start kiserny.com, a fashion line which has been doing very well, and has received press [including a recent interview]. Our goal with Soultease is to redefine the way we view ourselves, and the way we present ourselves to the outside world.

You're hoping to develop a creative atmosphere in which every individual's creativity is strengthened, even if it's exposure to someone else's creativity. Creativity in our environment calls out creativity from within.

Haydar: Exactly, it is a two-way process. Our souls are inspired by our environment, and we have the capability to inspire that environment with the expressions of our souls.