California’s 1 Eighty Apparel proclaims the gospel through high-end T-shirts.

Owned by Kevin Sumner and his wife, Sue, 1 Eighty was launched in 2004. Kevin Sumner did his own informal market research by asking Christians why they weren’t wearing Christian-themed apparel. What he found was that consumers ages 18 to 50 weren’t finding the quality, colors and designs they wanted in Christian T-shirts.

The company’s shirts are printed on the same quality of “blanks” (blank T-shirts) that surf shops and upscale stores carry, making them slightly more expensive than the typical Christian tees. However, Sumner says teen and young adult consumers today are used to paying $22 to $28 for quality T-shirts.

The company sold almost 30,000 T-shirts in 2012.

“Lifeway caught the vision and carries 1 Eighty, as well as Berean and many independent stores,” Sumner said.

Part of 1 Eighty’s visibility has come from Christian celebrities and professional athletes wearing the tees. The company also introduced a new line of tees in partnership with drummer Duncan Phillips of the Newsboys in March and began a partnership with the “New Release Tuesday” website to drive music fans to 1 Eighty.

Learn more at 180living.com, or click here to read the April Inspirational Gift Mart magazine feature about the company starting on page 38.

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