BY LADI AYODEJI
The Shepherd Superintendent of the Household of God church, Oregun, Lagos, Rev Chris Okotie, is an enigmatic cleric who represents different things to different people, depending on the lense you’re wearing.
In this maiden (Facebook) edition of Beats online, we decided to look at his much-talked about fashion sense and see how his broad range has influenced his colleagues in the ministry.
He began his ministry in 1987 by wearing casuals; an obvious carry over from his life as a popular singer/performer.
Then, at the urging of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, he started dressing like a conventional gospel preacher by wearing suits and collar.
This continued for a while until he went back to mainly casuals; long sleeve shirts and trousers, sometimes designer track suits and tops with cardigans.
On important occasions, Rev. Okotie dresses in specially-made tuxedos, fit for show business stars, which normally attracts curious glances and comments from his live audience and on television. Viewed from the congregation, he sometimes looked more like a celebrity than a pastor.
The strength of his style lies in its originality; simplicity and contemporary nature of the designs of his wears, whether they are formal or casual. They project peculiar creativity, range and dynamism. Usually, he sets trends that first look bizarre, but that soon become the norm.
Okotie’s unique style is a summation of his fashion statement, which made the media dub him the 21st Century Pastor. Though generally flambouyant, his choice of colours is liberal, but he has a fondness for white, black and gold. This reflects in his choice of car colours. 
Most of his multi-million luxury automobiles, including the Rolls Royce are white, though a few are black. The colour of the church auditorium or the “Villa” as it is called, is white. Everyone knows that white is difficult to maintain; but Okotie is a stickler for perfection.
The Reverend is suave, bold and disarmingly charismatic; his most radical style is usually reserved for the Crossover night service (New Year’s Eve), when he normally steps out in the most informal costume, reminiscent of the typical music stars. The Pastor probably dresses like that to identify with the street crowd that normally throng the end-of-year-worship service.
The pictures posted here project the diversity, style and creativity of the iconic preacher; they were all taken, as you could see, as he delivered his messages in church.
In a broader sense, Okotie’s liberal dressing is a reflection of the freedom that Jesus won for us Born Again Christians.
The Reverend displays deep knowledge of the New Testament church in his teachings; and his actions, including the fashion style, underscores this neo-liberalism, innovations and ethic that he represents.
Discussion about this post