You could write an entire book about the connection between fashion and religion and still not manage to tackle all the issues it implies.
In previous posts I looked for example at religious inspirations in fashion and at Fellini’s ironic ecclesiastical catwalk show in his film Roma (see also video embedded at the end of this post).
In my post about Fellini I mentioned Gai Mattiolo donating four chasubles to Pope John Paul II and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac designing the ecclesiastical robes for the late Pope, as well as rainbow-striped vestments for 500 bishops and 5,000 priests for the 1997 Paris World Youth Day.
Yet the theme of fashion and religious identity has been going for centuries: priest, philosopher, theologian Antonio Rosmini wrote for example in 1826 his Saggio sulla moda (Essay about fashion) in answer to Melchiorre Gioia's theories.
The Bishop of Mazara del Vallo Mgr Domenico Mogavero recently renewed this connection between fashion and religion by wearing vestments designed and donated by Giorgio Armani for the opening of the parvis of the new church on the island of Pantelleria.
The four silk vestments for the new church, in green, white, red and purple feature embroideries representing the symbols of the land and sea of the island, including starfish and shells.
The Italian designer has actually been holidaying for 37 years on the island and he's also an honorary citizen since 2006.
Criticisms were obviously raised, but the Bishop - known for his open positions towards immigration that enrage right wing parties such as the Northern League and for calling Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to resign after his sex scandals - claimed the vestments aren't about indulging in fashion, but giving glory to God through beauty.
The Armani vestments cannot be considered as a publicity stunt, after all the Italian designer doesn't really need any publicity and Armani was approached by the Bishop who suggested him to create the vestments.
Besides, allow me to add that if the royals can have a wedding dress by the creative team at Alexander McQueen (considered until his death as a controversial and shocking designer), I guess in Italy we have all the rights to have an Armani-clad Bishop.
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