Over the years, society has become more open to wearing clothing that displays symbols that support questionable imagery or highlight blatant imagery associated with Satanism or the Illuminati. The apparel industry is no stranger to designs that represent Satan or make a mockery of religion. Still going strong, Swedish clothing company Cheap Monday has been around for nearly 10 years, and has an interesting history with such symbolism.
In 2005, NBC News reported that a designer in Sweden wasn’t trying to hide his hopes to spread an anti-Christian message through his clothing. The original logo for Cheap Monday Jeans displayed an inverted cross within a skull – a symbol that is directed connected to Satan and the occult. The brainchild behind the logo design was Bjorn Atldax expressed the deeper meaning behind the concept – it wasn’t a haphazard, hip and trendy way to attract young buyers, but the design had a purpose.
While Atldax says that he was not a Satanist himself, he did express a great dislike for organized religion. He told the Associated Press many years ago that the logo was ‘an active statement against Christianity.’ Atldax deliberately used the clothing design to make a statement and wanted his young buyers to question Christianity. He even went on to refer to the religion as a ‘force of evil,’ which he attributed as the root of many wars throughout history. Despite the meaning behind the logo, Cheap Monday jeans flew off the shelves and gained quite a following.
Using the inverted cross in clothing designs definitely represents blasphemy, mockery, and the rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The skull symbol is also a symbol of death and the occult.
Atldax was not ostracized for his comments or logo, as Sweden is a country that encourages free speech. However, some buyers ripped the logo patch from their jeans or returned the product once they realized the meaning behind it. Others say they aren’t paying much attention to the meaning of the logo. The clothing logo depicting a grinning skull and upside-down cross was met with a call for discussion regarding religion, and not as many churches as one would think were up in arms over the design. Sweden has also seen a decline in church influence over the years.
The Rev. Karl-Erik Nylund, vicar of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Stockholm, objected to the logo, and took the time to lament, saying, “Swedish companies don’t treat Christianity with the same respect they afford other religions.” He continued, “No one wants to provoke Jews or Muslims, but it’s totally OK to provoke Christians.”
At first, Cheap Mondays were shipped throughout Europe (in places such as Norway, Denmark, Britain, the Netherlands and France), and the jeans are also sent to retail markets in Australia. Now, several different Cheap Monday stores have opened up in the United Kingdom.
Today, Cheap Monday’s logo is not the same as the original design. While it still shows a grinning skull, there is no inverted cross. In taking a look in the spring and fall collections of 2013, there are still some signs that show support of Satanic and/or Illuminati symbolism, as seen in the triangle T-shirt design that is named ‘No Fear.’
