Archbishop of Paris Replaces Liturgical Vestments with Liturgical Fashion

Monsignor Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Paris, has chosen fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (net worth: $215 million) to create the "liturgical vestments" for the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in December.

Ulrich's vestments will be made of modern fabrics, including a sweatshirt-like (!) material: "I wanted the designs to appeal to a young generation, with elements of streetwear," Castelbajac told Wwd.com.

The "young generation" Castelbajac is appealing to is now in its eighties. Surprisingly, Castelbajac's creations even feature a cross.

Castelbajac is producing 2,000 liturgical items, including chasubles, dalmatics and stoles, which will be worn by 700 bishops, priests and deacons.

The designs are said to have been inspired by the cathedral itself, from the light that plays on its white stonework to the blue, yellow, red and green tones of its stained glass windows and the huge gold cross by Marc Couturier that survived the fire.

Back in 1997, Castelbajac created rainbow-coloured outfits for 500 bishops, 5,000 priests and a million young people attending World Youth Day in Paris. It was the first time a fashion designer had worked for the Vatican.

Castelbajac was recently ranked as the highest paid fashion designer in the world.

Picture: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Courtesy of Notre-Dame de Paris, #newsZtsslzgiiy