Creator of the hottest fashion trend right now, Dylan Chenfeld, explains the inspiration behind the “I Met God, She’s Black” shirt.
With a t-shirt proclaiming “I Met God, She’s Black,” 21-year-old Dylan Chenfeld has touched off controversy by doing what he terms as “poking fun at sacred cows.” Chenfeld, who is an atheist with a Jewish background, decided to print the “I Met God, She’s Black” slogan on t-shirts and sell them for $30 each. They started slowly but have begun to become more popular as they are spotted on celebrities, including Drake and Cara Delevingne. They have started gaining traction among users of Tumblr and other social media sites and are now a hot item of the moment.
/// ran into this lady rocking @rooftopsNYC this morning. that feeling never gets old. /// pic.twitter.com/Ru5EVGJyM0
— dylan chenfeld (@Dylanchenfeld) October 27, 2014
Chenfeld is interested in turning a profit with his creation, but there seems to be a sort of spiritual motivation to his actions, too. He says that when people get “really religious,” it can lead to sexism. He hopes that his shirt will challenge people into really considering their thoughts on what they believe about the image of God. It is commonly accepted among white Christians that God is white and male, but as he wrote on his website, Chenfeld wants others to question those views and really examine their answers to the question, “What is God?” By calling God black and female, Chenfeld is opening race and gender discussions, especially as they pertain to religion.
The t-shirt has gained so much traction among young people that it has become the foundation of a new clothing line, Rooftop NYC. Currently, the Rooftop NYC store offers various t-shirts and sweatshirts with the phrase emblazoned on them. While there are some Christians who are predictably outraged over the shirt, there are others who have embraced the slogan as a way to open up a dialogue about gender, race, and religion, and it has become popular in the Black Lives Matter social media campaign. Chenfeld notes that when he began selling the shirts a year ago, most of his clientele was white. Now, he sees business from a growing, diverse customer base.