Some questions are easily answered because Jesus has already answered them. But working out the implications of the answer can be trickier. What’s the greatest commandment? Well, you know: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:37–40 NIV).

But what are the implications of Jesus’s words for your particular industry or for a sphere of life you’re interested in—forestry, financial services, family, photography, Facebook . . . ? A little while back I was asked to think about the great commandments and fashion. Now, unlike those who keep up-to-date with seasonal trends, or religiously watch the coverage of the Met Gala year after year to swoon over the costumes, I am not exactly the most dedicated follower of sartorial trends. Remembering my youth with pain and shame, I might have replied, “Thou shalt not wear flares,” but I decided to keep that to myself and so was forced to ponder a bit further.

How do you love God and your neighbor in fashion?

You love your neighbor in fashion by making clothes of beauty and integrity that do what particular types of clothes are meant to do—swirl at a dance, protect on a building site, express personality, communicate a role (whether street cleaner or admiral) in a way that honors the wearer.

You love your neighbor in fashion by crafting things that expand people’s understanding of beauty and style rather than narrow it down, that serve to facilitate relationships rather than setting up false barriers or imprisoning people in stereotyped group identities.

You love your neighbor in fashion by not deliberately setting trends in clothes that sexualize children, privilege a very narrow range of body types or ages, turn men or women into objects . . . or deliberately seek to inflame desire in others that the wearer has no godly way of satisfying.

You love your neighbor in fashion by making sure that the people who manufacture, cut, sew, label, pack, transport garments are paid a wage that allows them to put clothes on their children’s backs, shoes on their feet, food in their stomachs, books in their hands, and music in their ears.

You love your neighbor in fashion by dressing to express, not just impress, by dressing in ways that do not make other people feel small, that do not seek to manipulate or corrupt them.

And you love God in fashion by recognizing that he is the great Creator, that every gift we have is from him and is to be cherished and nurtured and enjoyed with care and humility for the sake of others.

You love God by remembering that he’s your Father and that he delights to see you making the most of the gifts he’s given you, delights to see you becoming more and more the person he created you to be.

You love God in fashion by respecting the good world he created, the animals he gave life to, the land, trees, flowers he brought into being, the wondrous velvet of a magnolia blossom, the sheening azure of an Aegean sky, the breathtaking elegance of a gazelle in motion.

You love God in fashion by wanting what you design, manufacture, and market to please him, by asking for his help and inspiration in all you do and offering the work of your hands as an act of worship.

And you love God in fashion by putting him before fashion . . . by rejoicing that your identity is not found in the label you wear or own or sell, the collection you designed, the magazine you featured in, the title of your job. Rather, your identity is to be found in relationship with the Father who loves you, the Son whose death clothes you in gleaming righteousness, and the Spirit who empowers you to be the glorious, true you that only he can help you be.

Mark Greene grew up Jewish and joyous, but was later wooed by God into his kingdom. He once worked in advertising in London and New York and serves as the executive director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity since 1999. Mark is the author of Probably the Best Idea in the World, which further unpacks the ideas explored in this article. Some content of this article can be found is Mark’s contribution to Simon Ward’s The Character of Fashion.

Probably the Best Idea in the World Mark Greene At the heart of everything is one very good idea—the true currency of our society, the key to all human flourishing and happiness. This idea is quite simple. It is love, actually. Love God. Love one another. Your neighbor. Your enemy. Full of humor, contemporary examples, and research, Probably the Best Idea in the World shows how Jesus's emphasis on thinking relationally is not only a liberating basis for our personal lives but also a dynamic foundation for our workplaces, our society, and our global community.