The preachers wearing Saint Laurent: behind the viral Instagram account

Ben Kirby's PreachersNSneakers took off when he posted the enormous price tags of the fashion worn by prominent clergy

Ben Kirby never intended to gain a social media following or obtain a book deal based on his knowledge of religion and sneakers, but that's exactly what happened when he launched the PreachersNSneakers account on Instagram in 2019.

The 31-year-old Dallas, Texas, resident was working towards obtaining his MBA and DJ-ing as a side job in 2019, when he overslept and missed church. I had never done this before but I decided to sit on my couch and look up YouTube worship videos," he told the Guardian.