Fashionista recently interviewed the anonymous founder of @preachersneakers, a new Instagram account that calls out well known religious leaders with a penchant for exorbitantly priced streetwear.
“Filled with posts juxtaposing pictures of megachurch pastors like Rich Wilkerson Jr. (who officiated Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wedding) and Judah Smith (a pal of Justin Bieber’s) with the prices of their Fear of God and Guccigear, the account has struck a chord, amassing over 8,000 followers in just a little over two weeks.”
While there’s nothing wrong with anyone (of any faith) wearing hyped streetwear, as the story points out, congregants “directly contribute to the [salaries]” of these pastors and preachers, which means that they’re also directly contributing to a collection of clothing that’s getting gaudier by the day.
According to the founder of the account, it “all started as a joke,” but he soon realized that “the questions the account brings up about ‘stewardship’… have real weight.”
(Seriously though, there’s something very not-right-feeling about a pastor in “rare Yeezy sneakers that sell for almost $4,000.”)
And now, some of the account’s subjects are starting to respond. Chad Veach, “another pastor in Bieber’s circle with over 234,000 followers on Instagram,” commented on a post about his “$1,980 Gucci backpack and $794 Rhude trackpants,” but then quickly deleted it. He’s since changed his well-known handle.
“That’s when I was like oh, this just got way more real than I ever intended,” the founder told Fashionista. “I’m not trying to cause a division… I just think that if you’re in church you should know how your pastor is spending the money.”
You can read more about it at Fashionista.
