by Shaun Keating

Created on: July 09, 2008

"Not Of This World", or NOTW if you're familiar with the brand which, I'm sure you are: you can't go two blocks in San Diegoor any town in southern California for that matter, without seeing it plastered on someone's car and/or face.

Here's a little background for those of you who are reading this and are wondering, "What is NOTW?" Not Of This World is the clothing line owned by the Christian retail chain C28. Aurelio F. Barreto III started the company in 2001 after he sold his business, Dogloo, for $21 million. This guy's story is pretty interesting actually, but only because he invented the Dogloo: those igloo shaped doghouses. He made millions on the business and then, after he became suicidal, accepted Christ and sold it. There are currently six stores in Southern California and the company just celebrated its first profitable year in 2006.

First of all, I get it. I get it. Seriously. The stores sell clothes that are "cool" and "hip" so that Christian teens can share their faith; they provide believers with clean, modest apparel and accessories that allow them to express their beliefs. The stores are different from other Christian stores because they don't sell the cheesy Precious Moments figures or the pink valour crosses. I think the main catchword that all the Christian magazines are using to describe the stores/brand is "edgy". Side note: C28 is not edgy. Marilyn Manson is edgy; a hoody with a cross on it is not. It's pretty much like a Sun Diego for Christians. Honestly, I don't know why someone didn't do this earlier. It is genius. And by that I mean genius in the same way that The Prayer of Jabez was genius because it made Bruce Wilkinson ungodly amounts of money and brainwashed more people than 1984 and Gattaca combined. I realize that only last year did Barreto post his first profits, but that's common. That's how business works. When he is confronted about his blatant profiteering of Christ his excuse is that this was the first year they had been profitable. Most companies don't show a profit for several years, especially when you're opening a new store every year like he was. Any way you look at it, Barreto is going to make a killing off of Christians
So let's get down to the brass tacks: C28 and NOTW are hawking God like a street corner vender in Mexico selling ceramic monkeys, two tacos and a Coke for a buck thirty-nine. Here is my main point: they are doing the same thing as Abercrombie, Urban Outfitters or Hollister Co. just for a different

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